Aftertales
by Deltadasher
Summary: Exspheres have been rediscovered after a 300 year peace. Curiosity fuels the government, and anyone lacking identification can be taken away for 'experimentation'.
1. Confusing New Layout

Wow, okay, nothing has been posted on my account in years. Ignore the old stuff. This is the good sh*t, I kid you not.

And I promise, there isn't actually any swearing in this first chapter.

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><p>Luin, named after its unfettered resolve to be rebuilt after any great disaster, was always a fairly prosperous town. Because of its proximity to the once popular Tower of Mana attracted a lot of tourist attention, and being built across Lake Sinoa helped bring in trade as a fish market. The people were pleasant, the views were breathtaking, and there was usually a warm welcome there for anyone who happened across it.<p>

The last time it was destroyed it had been rebuilt, just as it had been before, aided by the last Chosen of Regeneration and her companions. As a tribute to their kindness three statues were erected: one of the guardian summoner, one of the great healer, and one for the brave hero, all of whom helped the town during their plight against the Desians.

Of course, all of this was common knowledge. This history was taught in every school around the world, prominently so in Luin because of its historical ties to the heroes themselves. In the three hundred years since the rampage of the Giant Tree the last Chosen of Sylvarant and her companions had become legend, overshadowed only by the Great Hero Mithos of the Kharlan War over four thousand years ago. Some of them faded into quiet lives, returning home and starting families, with only the occasional glimpse of fame when the need was called for. Others travelled, helping those whose lives had been uprooted by the tragedies that had struck the world. Memorial sites were common, and always blessed with flowers.

Over the years Luin had grown, expanding onto the mainland surrounding the lake and flourishing still. The main bustle of life was central to the lake, where souvenir shops and fishing boats were about around the docks, always milling with people even around the winter months. Multi storey buildings housed many of the civilians, whilst others were used either as holiday inns or accommodation for families to come and send their children to one of three schools housed in Luin.

Roads had been paved through the streets to allow passage for delivery vans and people travelling by vehicle or carriage, the raised sidewalks on either side keeping pedestrians from harm's way as best they could. They were the main veins through the city, the two leading in coming from the East and West, which eventually lead to Asgard and an abandoned hamlet further south. They were the main source of income for the merchants: easy access from distant towns and cities to see the sights and buy the produce.

The town had matured well over the years. Civilisation had grown and filled out the once small group of houses, turning it into a bustling selection of multi storey buildings, organised schools, and busy shops and markets. In these early hours of the morning metal poles and wooden planks were being arranged to erect the stalls, and children were headed for their respective schools, the younger herded by their parents or older siblings, and each one dressed in pale blue.

In passing the statue of the Great Hero many of the young children stopped to bow their head in respect with smiles, some more than others, much to the pride of their watching parents. A debt of gratitude was owed to the people who saved the world, and by teaching their children the stories of their courage and strength he would live on for centuries.

Today, there was a man stood before it. Wrapped up in an old fire cape of black and red he was reading the plaque at the edge of the fountain, a small smile on his features as his gaze was eventually drawn up to the statue itself. As with every other morning the children walked by, some of them bringing their hands together and offering a small bow to the statue; others were giving the man a curious look, and some were doing both. There weren't usually any people around the statue this early in the morning.

As the bustle died down eventually the man was alone again. It had been a long time since he'd been in Luin, and he was almost surprised at the change that had happened. Everything grew so quickly, it would be hard to keep up.

From up the path along the side of the fountain came the patter of feet rushing in this direction. Dressed in a pale blue shirt and dark shorts a young boy was running as quickly as he could without slipping along the damp wood, a dark leather satchel swinging behind him from across his shoulder as he made a mad dash towards the school across the bridge and at least three streets away. Its distant clock tower poked up from between the rooftops, and when he read 9am on its face he gave a little whine and picked up his pace.

Passing by the fountain the young boy slowed down, staring at the stranger in the dark cloak in curiosity despite his tardiness to school. He was a tall man with auburn hair, a part of his face hidden by the long side-swept locks that hung across the front, and the tip of a scabbard barely touching the floor from beneath the hem of the cape. When the boy slowed down, he turned his head in intrigue much like he had done to him. Brushing longer parts of his blonde hair back behind his ear he stepped up to the fountain away from the man, and after a final quick glance at the stranger he looked up at the statue, pressed his hands together and bowed his head with a small smile.

When he looked up again the strange man was now watching him, which finally bothered him enough to raise his voice a little.

"What are you looking at?" The man chuckled softly, shaking his head before looking up at the statue.

"I guess showing such respect to the Great Hero has become a tradition over the years..." The boy shook his head.

"Those kids do it for a while because they're learning about him at school," he said, before looking back up at the statue with a proud smile. "…I do it because he's family."

The man smiled with a small nod, looking at the statue himself.

"Then I should do the same." He brought his hands together and bowed his head, whilst the young blonde gawked at him.

"What? But… I thought his only family was here…" said the boy, a bemused expression clear on his face. The auburn haired man chuckled softly.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

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><p>The forests around Luin hadn't changed much. Paths were well walked, and some of the woodland had shrunk the closer it was to town, but the deeper areas still seemed as dark and foreboding as always. It was still early morning and Kratos had decided that now would be as good a time as any to begin his exploration. Three hundred years on this merged planet had caused significant changes to a small town like Luin: he hadn't seen these kinds of buildings and road structures for centuries, so Meltokio and Palmacosta must have developed into enormous monsters by now.<p>

Izoold was his next destination, where he should easily be able to travel to Iselia. Like Luin, the skilled fishermen had most likely brought in a lot of market-goers and tourist attention, and so it was probably a thriving town much like its lake-based neighbour. The statues would be all that were remained from the year he left that would look remotely the same.

But the landscape had changed drastically since he'd been gone. Expecting to easily find Hima when he'd first left the altar he'd instead seen three towns: one by the ocean to the west, one hidden in the surrounding forests to the north, and one built into the forest to the east. He could vaguely recognise the Imperial Research Academy from above, but only by the great clock tower that it had. Even with his ability to fly it was hard to get any bearings without a map, but without money there wasn't a point in landing.

So he flew, following the landscape to the east until a recognisable continent came into view: mountainous down the centre, with a curve of plains to the south east dotted with civilisation. Lake Sinoa wasn't hard to spot either, being the largest body of water besides the ocean, though the town surrounding it had surprised him a little initially.

Hours felt like minutes as he walked through the fields. When he first came to the altar by the Tree he never realised how much he'd missed the simple movements of nature across the earth: the perpetual silence of Derris Kharlan was finally broken by the simple rustling of leaves in the wind. The whole of the altar had been overgrown, the enormous hole underneath obscured by bushes and roots that grew out the sides, brightly coloured by thousands of blooming flowers. One of the first things he'd done was sit down by the river, enjoying the sight he'd been without since he'd left on Derris Kharlan.

Luin had been his first interaction with people. Yes, there had been angels with him on Kharlan, but they were rather lacking in conversation beyond 'what would you like us to do now?'. Other than the young boy at the fountain he'd spoken with the owner of one of the stalls by the square, who was selling small, handheld devices named 'arms'.

They were weapons, capable of firing between five and twelve rounds, the likes of which he hadn't seen in many years either. These were far more basic than any he could remember: plunge one in water and that would be the end of it for a while. He was only looking at them when the man who owned the stall started speaking to him, suggesting he buy one if he had the identification to get it.

Shop owners had started becoming brasher by now as well. There was no holding back when it came to selling, and after perusing one or two other stalls – cakes and pastries from Asgard, and finely crafted wooden trinkets from Ozette – he left, realising that they were all after money which he didn't have at the moment.

There were obvious tyre tracks in the earth of the paths, cut up only by the smooth stones and occasional footprints. A few carriages had driven by, pulled along by aged lizards or large birds, which was when he noticed how little wild creatures there were left. He'd seen a few groups of large wolves, insects and the like, as there had always been, but that was about it. They didn't even attack: the first few wolves he'd spotted had growled viciously at him, but backed fearfully into the dark woods without another sound.

People around Luin had been armed. The salesman at the firearm stall was happy to sell his wares. But if monsters were too afraid to attack then what was the point? He hadn't been questioned about his sword but he clearly didn't need it.

"Halt!" He slowed down as he approached the next turn in the path. The trees around here were thick: he could only catch a few partial glimpses between the trunks as he walked, and eventually made out three people standing amongst a group of four or five men in armour. As he approached he could see weapons drawn as well. "State your identification, and the registration for your cycles."

"Yeah, yeah, we got 'em right here…"

They seemed to be soldiers, judging from their matching armour and weapons, and they were harassing two young women and a young man in possession of two two-wheeled vehicles. They were all dressed in brown leather biking gear, and a large bag each was strapped to the backs of the vehicles, stuffed to bursting with possessions.

Riffling through a side pocket of one of them the boy eventually pulled a set of papers into sight and handed them to the nearest guard, who snatched them off him and lifted the visor of his helmet to see them. Eyes narrowed, he read over each one carefully.

"Flanoir…D-rank vehicles?" said the armoured soldier, scoffing slightly as he looked at the cycles again. "I'd believe it too. Piles of junk."

"Do you need anything else? Or is that it?" asked the older woman, doing her best to keep her voice strong. It wasn't difficult to see that both girls were a little nervous. The soldier handed the papers back, before stepping to one side and gesturing to the others to do the same.

"You're good to go. Good luck riding those mobile disasters!" The boy started muttering profanities under his breath, but did nothing more than heave the bike back into motion along with his companion, and continued walking.

Who were these soldiers going around demanding identification? Were they the reason people were armed? The boy pushing the cycle had a firearm hanging from a belt around his hip, and the younger of the two girls was armed with a mid-length sword. They hadn't drawn them, but they didn't seem to need them either if they weren't being attacked by monsters.

They walked past without noticing him, and the guards up the path carried on their way in the opposite direction. What was with all of this identification business?

He carried on through the woods, making sure the path he was on was different to the soldiers he'd seen. Better to be unseen than to cause a scene, which shouldn't be too hard considering the amount of noise that rusty armour made. He should be in Izoold by morning at least, if the landscape was anything similar to how it used to be. If he just followed the path, he would probably be alright.

His quiet walk through the forest was abruptly ended when he left the safety of the trees, as directly before him twelve guards were stationed on the bridge that joined the two continents. It was too late to turn around – they spotted him the moment he left the woods – but slowing down his pace so much had drawn the curiosity and suspicion of every single guard. One of them stepped forward: he was dressed in silver lined with gold and appeared to be much cleaner than the rest.

"State your identification!"


	2. Lightning and Thieves

Just did a few changes to it. Not much, but I tired.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Lightning and Thieves<strong>

"You said you'd fixed these stupid things before we left!"

"Could you pass me a wrench?"

"Is it so much to ask? That's the second time I've had to walk the last stretch!"

"It wasn't as bad as last time. Could you hand me a wrench please?"

"Yeah, because walking through a desert shoving a bike is never that bad. These blisters are entirely your fault."

"I'm not rubbing them for you. Now hand me a—"

"Ugh, my shoes…!"

"Damn it Claudia, hand me a wrench!"

There was a dull thud against the grassy earth followed by an irate grunt. Pushing two broken down cycles was hard enough, but with all the whining and complaining going on from two thirds of the group they'd only managed to get them to the outskirts of town. It was a sunny afternoon so it wasn't a problem to be sat outside, enjoying the weather from the shade of the nearby trees and relaxing after their journey over the past few days. What didn't help was that the girl that remained, who was currently lying on the wall along the path, was still complaining about the 'poor' conditions they had just travelled under.

Travelling from Flanoir to Luin was hard, whether you had a vehicle or not. First came the short trip across the snowfields to get to the port on the edge of the continent: on cycles it wasn't so bad. From the port onto the boat, and then the boat to Izoold took about a day, being only a simple curve around the rocks and mountains of the mainland. The weather grew warmer by the end as well, so it was possible to sit on the deck and watch the town draw closer. After a night spent in Izoold the journey to Luin began, across the Triet desert (stopping only briefly to refresh at the oasis), over the bridge and the checkpoint further south, and then across the plains and hills for the rest of the day until late evening. Easy.

Unless the method of travel was compromised. This was all achievable on a vehicle, even a low power one, in about two days. Without them… well, it could take about four to six, depending on the speed of the traveller.

And where the breakdown happened.

Attempting to loosen a nut on a bent bolt Sam eventually gave up and smacked the bike with the wrench, causing a thick clang to reverberate through it making his friend jump. Of the two sisters he'd been travelling with the younger of the pair, Claudia, had remained with him.

"There's sand everywhere!" he seethed, watching another lump of oily grit slither out from one of the usually vacant areas on the vehicle. "This is the last time I bring your sister to Luin…!"

"Of course it is: she's moving down here now." Pulling himself out from underneath the bike he yanked off his gloves, pulling off the goggles that held back his ruffled navy hair before fixing a glare on his friend.

"If these things are broken, you're paying for damages."

"What? I didn't do anything!"

With a sigh he rose to his feet, brushing the grass from his jeans. He really should've kept the cycle clothes on to do the repairs…

"Giving up?" asked the girl in his company, who was still lying on the wall with her arms behind her head.

"I can't do anything with it right now. I didn't have half the parts for it when we left, and what it does have is now full of sand."

His friend sat up, eyes narrowed in suspicion at his comment.

"'Didn't have half the parts'?"

"Yeah, these things should've never made it out of the garage. I'm surprised they didn't explode."

"What?" He grinned at her worried exclamation, throwing the wrench back into the toolbox he had.

"Joke."

Huffing at his sense of humour she crossed her legs instead, watching as he went to the other bike and knelt down beside it to check its insides.

"…Great, the fuel pump's busted."

"So they're both broken?"

"No, you idiot: I can take parts from that one and put it in this one. At least we'll have one working bike…."

"You're gonna leave that one here?"

"Tabitha can look after it, right? I mean, we did just bring her down here, so she can do that for me," he said, looking through the small tool box again. "Wish I'd brought more with me though." Laughing a little Claudia lay down on the wall again, her arms folded beneath her head as she closed her eyes.

"Ah, you're a genius with what you've got! Don't get so miserable!"

"Maybe I could sell it for spare parts… There'd only be about three left, but whatever…"

There weren't that many scrap dealers around, and the few that were there only bought cheap. What they did pay out was meagre, and what they got they'd sell for three times as much, because the only people needing parts were the ones who couldn't afford to buy new vehicles.

After many trials and tribulations - and swearing - the ground was eventually strewn with loose parts, unnecessary wires and screws, and Sam was stood proudly next to the one mostly completed bike. Smeared with oil and stripped down to only his jeans and shirt he smiled, eventually lifting a leg over to sit on the seat and pushing the key into the ignition.

"You sure you want to be so exposed when you turn that thing on? If it explodes your 'nads will be the first thing to go!"

"Just shut up and stay on the wall," he replied, barely registering the fact that she'd ducked behind the structure she'd been laying on only a few minutes ago.

The engine shuddered into life with the turning of the key, coughing a little until a gentle amount of revving eased it into an eventual purr, and the smile on Sam's face turned smug.

"I am such a wizard…!"

"Are you dead yet?" Gripping the handlebars he put it in gear and accelerated again, and could help but laugh triumphantly as the bike dashed forward.

"It's like it's brand new!"

Spotting the flash of red hair as Claudia poked her head out from behind the wall he turned and headed back towards her, a gentle squeeze of the brakes being all he needed to get the bike to slow obediently to a halt. "See, that's how amazing I am."

"Whatever, you show off…"

Quirking her head to one side when her friend turned his gaze towards the forest to the north she stood up, frowning at the sudden expression of bemusement he had on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"…I dunno—"

A bright flash falling from the sky forced them to cover their eyes, the ground rumbling as a crash of thunder echoed across the plains like a guttural roar, but as quickly as it had appeared it vanished. Looking at each other in surprise they were both stunned.

"Was that a… sword?" mumbled Claudia.

"That was incredible…!"

"Like, a sword made of lightning?"

"Did you feel that? The air was just… alive with power!"

"What?"

"The mana… That was crazy: no one uses magic that strong!" the boy exclaimed, before gesturing to his friend to get on the bike behind him. "Let's go check it out!"

"No way! The last time you said, 'Let's go check it out', I almost broke an arm and that wolf thing got away with your boots!"

"We won't get close: I just want to check it out."

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><p>It was hard to make any coherent sense of his surroundings anymore. In the past half hour the whole of his body had started going numb, his limbs like lead and barely keeping him up despite his effort to do so. He couldn't move his feet very much: no matter how hard he tried they just wouldn't go one in front of the other—wait, he'd fallen to his knees at some point. That's why they were sore…<p>

With a groan he brought a hand to his head, which had started to ache. What was going on? It'd started a little after he'd escaped from the soldiers on the bridge: they were easy to take out, but they'd hit him with something as he left. It was a dart, as far as he could remember. Why would guards be using drugged darts

It was becoming too much. If there'd been anything in his stomach he'd have thrown it back up by now, but that didn't stop the pain it put him through as he fell forward, supported only by his shaking arm. He hadn't felt agony like this for a long time.

"…Okay, now I swear we're lost."

"No, it's around here…!" Voices were quickly approaching from somewhere to his left along with the low rumble of a vehicle, but he still couldn't move beyond putting his other hand on the ground to keep himself up. Both arms were trembling visibly as his strength left him, the whole world spinning as he tried again to get to his feet, but he only succeeded to drop further than before. He couldn't even concentrate enough for a First Aid spell.

"…Wait, over there!"

"What?" Concentrating was hard.

"I think… someone's trying to use magic?"

The engine sound stopped. There was a click, followed by footsteps heading closer and closer…

"Sam…!" gasped a female voice. They were still quite a distance away, and had probably spotted one of the men around him. They must've followed him from the bridge, knowing he was drugged.

There was a brief moment of silence, which he took to try and find his feet again. Wherever they were, they were numb and heavy.

"…Just a thief. Or he was: guy's dead now."

"Geez, how?" His hands were starting to feel fuzzy now as well. He tried running his fingertips through the earth, but despite what he could just about see before him he couldn't feel a thing.

"I dunno. It was probably that lightning—hey, here's another one!" Those footsteps were tentatively coming closer again, stopping just a few yards away. "…He's alive. Bit burnt though."

"Are you helping him?"

"Just a bit…" The male voice trailed off, and just as his eyes started to give in to fatigue he heard them approaching him instead. "…Claude! Get the bike!"

"What—why?" His arms gave out, and he finally slumped to the ground. He could just feel the shift in balance as he was rolled onto his back, but beyond that he couldn't see anything else as his eyelids slid shut.


	3. A New Form of Snap

I feel like I owe an apology for the wording of the dialogue in the second chapter. I ignored my beta, which was wrong, so I've had to double her mind cookies to keep her off my case. She told me this one is good though.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: A New Form of Snap<strong>

He never liked being at someone's mercy as much as when he collapsed, especially if they were strangers. _Especially_ if said contact could have been avoided, and even more so if the avoiding could've happened if he'd just been more careful. And usually he was: thousands of years of experience under his belt, he could evade almost all ambushes and attacks like they were nothing, leaving with only a few scratches if there were more than four in the opposing party. But that dart came when he couldn't avoid it: defending himself against three men at once did take priority over the smaller points in situations like those, and whoever shot the dart had been too well hidden for him to see them before they fired.

And now he was paying the price. He was at the mercy of whoever the people he'd heard before were, and no doubt they'd want to be reimbursed for their time and effort to help him. If they'd helped him at all, that is. For all he knew, he could still be lying in the forest, amongst whatever was left of the thieves he'd hit with Thunder Blade. That hadn't been a very good attack either: his mind was so hazy it was more like a bolt of lightning than anything.

Wherever he was, at least he was warm. There was a faint smell of damp earth, a gentle lapping of water reaching his ears through the silence. Probably in the inn at Luin… He had no idea how far he'd been from there, but it was probably closer than he'd been to Izoold, considering how he never made it over the bridge.

He still felt a little… fuzzy. The numbness hadn't gone completely, but at least he could move with a little more ease by now. Struggling to open his eyes he was met with a softly flickering light and the occasional murmur of voices, and turned his head towards a grand fireplace as he sat up.

Sitting by the fire were two of the three people he'd seen the day before with the bikes in the forest; the boy and the younger girl, who had both changed out of the leather riding outfits. Sitting by the crackling flames they were both holding a deck of cards each, and carefully flipping them onto a pile growing between them until the boy slapped his hand down on top.

"Hey!" hissed the girl, batting his hand away.

"It's a four on the fourth card! It's a match!" the boy whispered back, pushing a few of the cards to one side to show the rest underneath.

"No way, I was on three! And there's an eight under that: you were supposed to skip a turn!"

"See, this is why we're supposed to say them out loud."

"Yeah, but I didn't wanna wake the guy…!"

A finger was pointed at him, and when both looked in his direction they jumped and almost fell back, the dark haired boy almost shoving his elbow in the fire in the process. They stared at him for a moment or two in silence, looking as if he'd risen from the dead, so he took the time to look around the room.

He didn't recognise it as the inn he'd stopped in briefly the day before. The walls were painted a light colour to contrast with the dark carpet underfoot, and there was only one bed, lavishly wrapped in fine cotton sheets. On the bedside table there was a lamp and a small golden clock, as well as a glass of water and a plate of fruit, whilst a small selection of books were housed on a shelf underneath. The room was large enough to fit a couch and a low coffee table by the fire, where his cloak and sword were currently resting, and in the corner stood a large wooden wardrobe.

The boy was the first to stand, making his way slowly to the bedside table in the low light of the fire.

"Wow, didn't expect you to wake up so soon…!" he mumbled awkwardly, managing a small smile as he lifted the glass and handed it to Kratos.

He only looked about sixteen. His features were still rather young and round beneath long locks of navy hair, which hung untidily from the side and across his eyes, whilst the back was ruffled and unkempt. Tall and thin, he was dressed in a dark green shirt and grey jeans, with mismatched socks on his feet that were evident even in the shadows – stripes on one, and squares on the other. A small glint drew attention to his softly pointed ears, which were adorned with two rings and a stud on one side, and two studs on the other. His right hand was wrapped tightly in bandage, from halfway up his lower arm right down to his fingertips, with a small white mark just visible near the top.

"You were attacked by the Guard, right?" the boy asked, crossing his arms once the glass had left his hand. Taking a sip Kratos eventually nodded.

"Over by the bridge near Hima."

"Hima?"

The girl spoke this time, getting up from where she was by the fire and walking cautiously towards the bed. Similarly to the boy she was dressed simply, wearing a thin woollen cardigan and a pair of shorts, her legs covered by striped tights. She appeared to be a little older, maybe twenty or twenty one, and was far more reserved as she kept her brow furrowed and her arms crossed. Her hair was shoulder length and tousled, like she'd only just woken up.

Kratos noticed her inquisitive tone of voice. Maybe the hamlet was no more… Without the Tower of Salvation, there would be nothing to bring people up to the mountains, and the only building there was the inn. It made sense that it would be abandoned by now. So he took another gulp of water, before putting the glass down on the table again.

"To the north."

"Yeah, that's the one," said the boy, before running a hand through his hair with an uncomfortable chuckle. "Y'know, I'm surprised you're even awake. You had so much of that drug in your system… How are you feeling by now?"

"...I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure? All limbs intact?" asked the girl instead, though the hint of sarcasm in her voice earned her a stern glare from her friend. Eyes narrowed, Kratos looked from one to the other, which eventually made the boy sigh.

"Look, the reason I'm asking is… well, you _really_ shouldn't be this awake right now. You took two darts: that's enough to drop a bull in three minutes, but you managed to get halfway back to Luin," he explained, holding a hand to his chin in fascination. "Your metabolism must be _incredible_…!"

The girl shook her head and ran a hand down her face with a sigh.

"Sam…!"

"What's your name?"

"Kratos." He was beginning to see where this was going.

"And where are you from?"

"Isn't it more appropriate to give your own names in return, instead of asking another question?" This seemed to take them both by surprise, and once again the boy chuckled nervously.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Sam Perry."

"Claudia Morgans."

"And where am I?"

"My in-laws' house, in Luin." It didn't seem that Claudia was all that comfortable with the situation, speaking softly and curtly, her arms still crossed as she remained a step behind Sam.

The teen himself seemed more than happy to continue the conversation though, and kept smiling.

"I still can't believe how far you made it. You even took out some of those bandits! How is your magic so strong?"

"Sam, he's awake and he's fine. I'm going to bed and I think you should too." Turning away from the bed Claudia started across the room towards the door, stopping only to scoop up the cards they'd abandoned on the floor. Disappointed, Sam had started pouting slightly in agitation, but eventually turned back to Kratos with an apologetic smile on his features.

"Just give someone a yell if you need anything. Mine and Claudia's rooms are right next door," he said, glancing briefly towards the door as it swung shut behind his friend. "Yeah, all I can say is try and get some more sleep. I don't know how much is still left in you, but it should all be gone by tomorrow. Like I said, I didn't think you'd recover this quickly at all…!"

"Why do they use that drug?" Kratos eventually asked. Any knight would usually rely on skill or numbers to take down a foe: why resort to such a low trick?

Rubbing his neck awkwardly the boy frowned.

"Well… to stop people from running. If they catch someone, they—"

They both turned towards the door when it was opened again, and Claudia stuck her head around the edge.

"Sam! Let him sleep! He's probably still tired!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled, and headed towards the door without another word.

"Is there any way to protect yourself against it?" Kratos asked. The boy turned back with a thoughtful look, holding a hand to his chin again.

"…Not that I know of, 'cept for 'stay away from the darts'. They only taught how to deal with the effects in school, which is enough, really."

"_Sam_! You need to go to bed too! It's late!"

"I know, alright!" he yelled towards the door, before glancing briefly back at Kratos. "Goodnight."

It was hard to make any sense of this at all. Soldiers were going around and drugging people, just to keep them from running? Because of identification issues, just like he'd had earlier? But if it was such a problem wouldn't extra precautions be made to make sure everyone had identification, or were they trying to catch people? But why…?

As for Iselia, he'd have to fly again. There didn't seem to be any way he could get through the barricade without going through the same situation, and at the moment he'd prefer to not go through that again. Going on foot was purely for nostalgic reasons, and if he could avoid it that would be preferable. His first stop would probably be Triet, out in the desert, but the landscape had changed drastically since he'd left all that time ago. The altar was by the hidden village and Sybak, nestled in the surrounding mountains along with the new World Tree, while the old Holy Ground of Sylvarant was empty save for the chasm the Tower was once perched over. Altamira was in a peninsula connecting two of the continents together, and Latheon Gorge was a few hundred miles from Luin and Asgard. It had thrown him slightly to see the landscape he used to know so well twisted into such an odd shape, and without a map it'd take him a lot longer to figure out where his destination was and how he would get there.

He needed a map more than anything else at the moment, to get his bearing and save time as he travelled: flying blindly in a vague direction would only agitate him. But to get a map he needed money, and the only way he could get any without difficulty would be to fight the monsters. But if they weren't attacking, the reward system was probably out of use. If he only had a chance to look at one it would make things easier on him. He could work out a route, and see which other towns had grown or vanished…

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he finished off the glass of water and took a few of the grapes – there was a funny taste to them, a little blander than he could remember. Or was that his sense of taste after three hundred years of very little nourishment? Either way, he ate them, still feeling a little drained after his run-in with that dart. How far would he be able to walk right now? He didn't want to be here in the morning despite the hospitality the boy named Sam was showing. His pointed ears and navy hair were obvious signs of elven ancestry, possibly half-elven considering the tone of his skin, but it was hard to tell in dim lighting

The greater test was seeing if he could stand up. Once he was on his feet he'd know how much that drug was still affecting him: if his hands were numb he would be able to deal with it, but without his feet he wouldn't be able to walk. He would have to wait until morning, which wasn't something he was particularly looking forward to. There was only one way to find out, and that was to get up.

* * *

><p>"Claudia?" He never realised how cold it was out in the corridor at night. He was usually fully dressed, so he never would have, to be honest. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a spare shirt, Sam knocked once again on the girl's door, one arm wrapped around his middle to keep warm whilst he rubbed his tired eyes with his free hand. His toes were sticking over the edge of the carpet that ran down the centre of the hall floor, and touching them to the wood between it and the door just made him shiver even more. "Claudia…!"<p>

The handle turned suddenly, and had he been more awake he would've jumped when it was yanked open, but when Claudia's dishevelled figure came into view he frowned guiltily.

"What're you whining for…?" she grumbled, running a hand over her face as she fought back a yawn.

"I…" he mumbled, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. She was going to yell at him… "…I heard something…" When she stared at him in disbelief he hung his head.

"W-what—Sam, you're sixteen! Go back to bed and sleep!" The door was shut, leaving him out in the dark and the cold all by himself, and he brought his hands to the wood in desperation.

"C-Claude…!" A long creak echoed down the hall to greet him, making his voice shiver and break a little. In the dark a person's vision was supposed to gradually improve, but right now everything just seemed to be getting darker and quieter, save for the gentle squeaking of wood. It was getting closer, creeping like an enormous spider beneath the floorboards, just waiting to take hold of him in those long, cold legs…

This time he did jump when the door opened again.

"…Alright, fine. Get in…" The moment the first syllable passed her lips he lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her middle like a small child. "C'mon; it's, like, the middle of the night."

"Don't do that again. I really did hear something…"

"Yeah, yeah…"

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><p>A long and painful creak emanated from the door when he pushed it open slowly, which Kratos cursed several times over as he heard conversation from further up the hall. It seemed to be the two kids from earlier… He waited until they fell silent, the distant door clicking shut, and let his own door swing into its neutral position as he went down the opposite direction.<p>

There was a certain uneasiness to the stairs as he descended to the ground floor, even with his hand clasped firmly to the banister. It felt a little furry under his fingertips like the day before, but he ignored it for now: he'd be alright in a little, once he was on level ground.

"Who's there?" Three steps from the carpet of the main hall there was a small voice somewhere around the corner, along with the soft light of a stationary lamp and a shadow that passed in front of it. It came to the arch of the next room, and a young woman in a dark blue dress and a white apron walked into sight with a concerned expression. Upon spotting him she remained in the arch. "Is there something you need, sir?"

Passing the last few steps he looked around the hall, pulling the cloak around his shoulders again and fastening it at the front. Of course, there was one thing he needed.

"Do you have a map?"

An area down his back felt cold… He shuddered and curled up tighter, but when that didn't help he reached blindly behind him to try and find any morsel of duvet he could. At some point during the night either it or Sam had migrated to one side of the bed without the other, and now the only part of him covered was his lower half, leaving the rest of him to shiver against the cold of the room. Having curled around a pillow his front was fine, but he'd suddenly started noticing how exposed his spine was and that made the rest of him cold, especially without a blanket.

When he couldn't find it he eventually rolled onto his back, and squinted tiredly across the empty bed. The curtains were still shut and let only a sliver of early morning light into the room, a bright twitter of small birds coming from somewhere outside.

"…Mmh… Claude?" he mumbled groggily, looking the other way towards the sofa. Her sword and boots were still there, but nothing else. She must've gone to breakfast already…

Sitting up he stretched out his stiff limbs, joints clicking after sleeping in a ball for most of the night, before shivering again and bringing his arms back around himself. He'd dropped his shirt onto the floor the night before when he realised he couldn't sleep in it, but it wasn't there any more… Dang, he liked that shirt too: if it wasn't in this room, it was probably lost somewhere in the Jones family's immense amount of laundry, and he wouldn't get it back until his next visit.

"Why are you wearing my cardigan?" The kitchen was warm and humid, thick with the scent of baking bread and sizzling bacon, which he was already smiling about as he dropped unceremoniously into a seat. Claudia was already sat at the table, dressed and looking ready to leave (except for her boots and weapon) in her shorts, striped tights, and vest top, whilst her sister Tabitha was sitting across the way from her. The older sibling was still dressed in her night dress, wrapped up in a cardigan and slippers, with her long blonde hair tied in two plaits that hung back behind her shoulders. Both already had a plate of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and toast before them.

"Shirt gone…" It was too early in the morning for coherent speech until he'd had breakfast. Claudia sighed softly at this reply, but said nothing more.

A plate was put in front of him soon enough, and with the same dopey smile he picked up a knife and fork and tucked in. "What about that guy upstairs? Does he want food?"

"Already gone." Halfway to his mouth his fork stopped as he looked at his friend incredulously.

"What?"

"Yeah, last night. According to the night staff, anyway," said Tabitha, shaking her head softly. "Asked for a map, then took off."

"You—what? I don't believe…! You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Claudia replied simply, piling the last few morsels on her plate onto her fork before shoving it into her mouth. "H'rry up. We're l'vin' soon."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and swallowed. "Hurry up. We're leaving soon."

I think that went better than expected. And in case you were confused, the banister is not furry. His hands are a little numb, and that's the tingly feeling he's getting. That's just... well, beta was... Gah, I'll stop trying to be a smartarse from now on...

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><p>I'll stop updating as frequently sometime soon, too. The chapters are getting longer, and I wanna see you people squirm for a week or so. That, and my beta reader has a life, and I don't think she likes it when I keep sending her emails.<p> 


	4. Confusing Weapons

Chapters will be, from now on, a more weekly thing. I didn't want peole to think 'Hey, this one uploads so often', and then when I didn't they'd be all 'oh mei gawd no wai she'z stopped updating!1!'. Not that I know people like that, but it's always fun to bring light to awful spelling.

Read and enjoy. Any questions in regards to the plot will be answered a few chapters from here. Any others, through reviews. Hopefully there shouln't be much.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Confusing Weapons<strong>

An oasis has always had importance in the lives of people travelling through a desert. Goods were acquired from towns on both sides, and without a point halfway between them the trade dwindled the moment it met the wide wasteland between them. Traversing the treacherous dunes was dangerous: many an inexperienced explorer had lost his life out in the sand, straying too far in the wrong direction on his way to the oasis in the middle. It was the only point of survival for humans, and monsters alike, who lived out in such a formidable place.

Travelling on foot was always done better at night, when the air was cooler and the moon watched over the land, particularly on cloudless evenings. That great white pearl would reflect on the surface of the water and be a guiding beacon for any weary wanderer, if they were coming from a northerly direction. Any unwitting daytime walkers were usually scorched within hours.

Any discernable path was often wiped clean after a sandstorm, which always tore viciously across Triet and wore away at the old wall that did its best to protect its inhabitants. Having lived there for so long they knew how to survive and deal with these problems, taking cover inside their homes until it passed by, and clearing up whatever damage that would occur. They already knew, however, it was best to leave as little as possible outside.

The oasis was as blue as it had ever been, a little bigger if anything, and as always it was guarded by a small child wielding a branch. There was always someone who told their child the importance of the precious little water they had in the desert, and that child would take it upon their self to 'keep it safe', from squanderers and polluters alike.

But as Kratos walked through Triet it wasn't hard for him to spot a second oasis, about a hundred yards from the first and surrounded by a dozen small houses, and a building bearing the title 'The Oasis'. The old inn 'Mirage' was still standing and seemed to be currently housing a school, a small group of young children playing outside, but all in all the town seemed impoverished. Compared to the new inn, it all looked dilapidated.

He was greeted as he entered town, which was just as lively as always despite the run down buildings: if anything, there were a lot more people than before. As it was in Luin, what buildings that were there had grown – or at least been built bigger than before. The passing of time had developed civilisation's building skills a great deal. The armour and weaponry shops were still open and thriving, though many of the browsers looked out of place in a desert. They were dressed very casually, pale skin burnt under such extreme sunlight, and looking very warm and uncomfortable. He watched as some of them wandered wearily back to 'The Oasis', dizzy with sunstroke and most likely parched, and shook his head slowly as he realised they were most likely tourists visiting the old ruins to the west—no, to the south.

Taking a seat at a table near the original oasis he pulled out the map, placing it on the table and pinning the corners down with a selection of rocks from the ground. The young maid in Luin had been kind enough to let him take a bag with a few bare essentials: food, water, and the map. A book and a selection of pens had been tucked in the front pocket, but he thought nothing of it and left them there for the time being.

The joining of the two worlds had made such severe changes to the landscape. The continent where Meltokio and the temples of Earth and Lightning were based had moved south of Sybak and Gaoracchia, and Triet and Iselia were north of Luin, Asgard and Palmacosta. Heimdall and Altamira were amongst the peninsulas between the two main halves of the world, along the centre line below Flanoir. Many small towns had made their way into the world as well: a little port town named Colwyn on the west coast of Triet, beyond the mountains; Eiro, another small port town near Flanoir; and a third one called Aberwerdd near Ozette. He could only assume that all these ports were flourishing from advancing ocean travel: soon enough, they'd be taking to the air themselves. Not that Yuan would need help.

The Renegade base wasn't on the map, but it wasn't like it would be in the first place. Would they still be needed in this world? With no threat like the Desians around there didn't seem to be a need for them, since Yuan first began them in an attempt to stop the Chosen and stop Mithos. Was the blue haired half elf even around by now? Was Kratos the only one left?

A room at the inn still cost very little, the only problem being that no matter how cheap it was he didn't have the gald for it right now. The only things he could sell were the cloak around his shoulders and what remained in his bag, and he doubted that bread, cheese, ham and cake would get him very far. There were also the few accessories he still had: an old Fairy Ring and a talisman of some kind, but these things he'd rather keep than give away. They still had their uses, and would probably fetch more as antiques than equipment.

From the main entrance of the town came the low, shuddering purr of a vehicle, familiar to his ears after he'd heard it the day before passing out. It wasn't possible: the likelihood of the same bike being in Triet was incredibly low, unless they were travelling somewhere north of here… This was one of the most ridiculous coincidences he'd ever had the misfortune to experience recently.

Having sat back at the bench by the oasis for the past hour or so he eventually gathered his possessions together, and made his way towards the centre of town to investigate the latest arrivals. It couldn't possibly be those two kids: why would they be travelling to Triet in the first place? The only places to go beyond the desert were Iselia, nestled in the corner of the continent, and Izoold up the top…

The children from earlier that afternoon were now being escorted home by their parents, fascinated by the marred and mismatched cycle that had just pulled in through the main entrance in the wall. Sat on top were the two he'd met the night before, looking hot and bothered and ready to drop, with a bag each strapped to the back of the vehicle. Switching the engine off they sluggishly clambered off, and as the boy heaved it towards the shade of some kind of cycle shed in front of the inn the girl instantly unzipped her jacket and pulled it off.

"Damn it… I hate Triet…!"

He watched as they walked, with their head hung, towards the inn with their possessions in hand. Sam had followed Claudia's lead and peeled off his jacket the first chance he had, and let it drag on the ground behind him as they headed down the steps and disappeared inside. Both had been too distracted by the heat to see him standing in the shade of the wall barely two yards from them: travelling in heavy leather jackets would be hell in the desert, but it was necessary to keep the sand from buffing against the skin and tearing it apart.

If he had nothing else to do in Triet, he would leave soon. He hadn't realised just how long he'd been at the oasis until those two turned up. It was time to move on to Iselia.

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><p>Both pairs of leather jackets and trousers were abandoned in a heap at the foot of one of the two beds, and both Sam and Claudia had collapsed on the other bed, exhausted from the heat. Staring at the ceiling, neither could move from the mattress for the time being.<p>

"This is the last time I come here, I swear to whatever higher being is watching right now…!" said the redhead, wiping her forehead and grimacing at the sweat that glistened on her arm.

"Agreed…!" mumbled Sam, pushing his goggles a little higher into his hair to keep it from his eyes. "Geez…!"

From out on the square came a scream; a piercing, fear-fuelled scream. It quickly spawned others in its wake, until the whole town seemed to be in an uproar and sounded as if they were running from the main gate. The heavy footfalls of a large group walking in time drew closer, accompanied by the constant clanking and scratching of rubbing armour. Casting each other a worried glance Sam and Claudia were soon at the window, and watched as about thirty guards in glistening armour stormed through the opening in the wall.

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><p>A man in silver armour lined with gold was leading the way, and before any more of the civilians could escape he'd managed to surround the square and herd them all back towards him. Removing his helmet he flashed the crowd a sinister smile, running a hand across his short blonde hair after having worn the armour.<p>

"People of Triet: we received word that a group of escapees has taken refuge in your town. Please remain here as we perform a search of the buildings."

Kept in place by a formidable ring of soldiers they could only watch as their homes were broken in to and ransacked, any person inside thrown out to join the others with little to no care. Children were sobbing helplessly into their parent's embrace, and families huddled together in fear as they were eyed up like prey. The mid-afternoon was still beating down relentlessly, and the longer they were stood there the harder it was to bear. Guests from 'The Mirage' were easy to spot, a few already collapsing from heat stroke and shaded only by those standing around them, and offered water by some of the locals who had it to spare.

An hour passed, before there was a yell from one of the small houses behind the inn.

"Three found: five remaining!" Three of the guards returned, escorting three men already bound in chains to the man in gold and silver, who were then forced to kneel before the crowd.

"You should really consider co-operating! The longer it takes for us to locate these criminals, the more time you spend out here in the sun—"

"These people are innocent! _You're_ the criminals around here!" a young man dared to yell from amongst the crowd, rallying a few cries in agreement from his companions. The head soldier rolled his eyes, and walked towards the man with an eyebrow quirked in question.

"Oh, like I haven't heard that before," he drawled in a bored tone, towering over the other man without much trouble. The entire crowd before him had started cowering, shying away and almost leaving the brave young man to stand alone at the front, though when a hand reached forward to try and pull him back the soldier lifted his own to stop them. "No, I think this boy needs to learn a thing or two about what the Eques uphold."

"Four found: one remaining!"

The young man was dragged forward from the safety of the circle, and as the next four escapees were brought forward the blonde knight ordered them to stand.

"Many of these men are criminals. They are brought to us because leaving them to roam would be dangerous: no civilian would be safe." The young man was trembling slightly, his eyes fixed to the floor in fear as he was held firmly by the shoulder, until a handful of his hair was snagged and he was forced to look into the thuggish face of the man standing in front of him. "Their identification is stripped. Anyone who escapes can easily be caught because of this, which is why civilians are checked so rigorously."

They moved down the line, some of the 'criminals' looking more like measly little weasels than anything, though there was a teenaged boy and a woman amongst them who looked frightened beyond belief.

"Some are guilty of fraud, or thievery. Others, for assault, abuse, or murder. Tell me: are we really all that evil for keeping sadistic villains like these locked up away from hard working civilians, like yourself?"

The inn was soon emptied, all the inhabitants inside forced to join the circle as the young man at the front was released back amongst them.

"Any sign of the last?" the head knight called out, looking around the entrances that his underlings had covered.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!" The searchers returned empty handed, and the blonde sighed despondently.

"Damn, must've headed another way…" he muttered, before turning to a soldier standing beside him. "Send word to the camp near Izoold: there might be an escapee heading in their direction."

"Yes Captain!"

The knights started to withdraw, chaining the captives together and marching them out of the square. Once the guards had backed away from the circle the people inside started to spread a little more, until a child ran from amongst them crying for his mother. Running after the escapees he seemed completely unaware of the guards falling into formation around the gate, or of the Captain drawing a weapon and quickly taking aim.

A gasp rippled through the crowd as a shot echoed through the air, and the child stopped dead in his tracks. A few yards away, the silver and gold arm the Captain had drawn clattered to the ground, the man himself grasping his hand in pain as his soldiers hastily rallied around him. Silence fell across the crowd, parting slightly around a navy haired young man still holding his own firearm at the ready, trained on the Captain along with his fierce expression.

"Bring forward whoever the suicidal idiot is that dared to attack me." The crowd parted further, and two of the soldiers marched forward and took hold of Sam by the arms, forcing him to walk forward. Still cradling his wounded hand, a few chips of his gauntlet littering the floor around him, the Captain glared at Sam. "An attempt at chivalry, elf?"

"Half elf, actually. And yes," the boy snapped, causing the knight to smirk.

"Risking your neck for a lowly runt?"

"Better than seeing him killed. It was an act of defence."

"Attacking an officer is a crime in itself," said the Captain, eyeing up the crowd gathered behind him. The young child had returned to his guardian, though there were now fair few of the civilians beginning to look more than angry. "…But the wound is minimal. I guess I can't arrest you."

For a moment Sam looked relieved, but instead of being released he was forced to his knees, his right arm held out by one of the guards. He struggled, but was kept firmly in place as the Captain drew his other firearm.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be punished. An eye for an eye, as they say."

Another pair of knights quickly caught Claudia, who had run forward with a hand on her sword.

"Sam!"

"Anyone who interferes will receive the same treatment!" one of the guards scolded her, drawing the Captain's attention to herself.

"Stand down, woman. Or I'll do more than graze him."

"Leave him alone!" Her yell was ignored, and she watched as the Captain took aim with a look of sadistic glee in his eyes.

"Remove his glove," he ordered, smirking as Sam's struggles increased, but quirked an eyebrow in curiosity when he saw the bandage wrapped around his arm. "…And the bandage."

The knot was cut, and with less care than he would've liked Sam watched helplessly as they unwrapped the cloth around his lower arm. A white mark was soon revealed.

"A healer, are you? Another reason for punishment: hiding your registration is against the law."

"I wasn't—" he tried to argue, but was interrupted by the guards as they gasped and stepped back. His hand had been revealed, which he quickly tried to hide now that he'd been released. Before he could back away the Captain caught his arm and yanked him sharply forward, looking closely at his skin as the last of the bandage fell away from his palm.

His flesh was marred; sallow and grey like a decomposing corpse, it looked as if only his skin covered the bones. The further down his wrist it went, the worse it seemed to get, only returning to normal beyond the joint where his veins faded from deathly black to the healthier blue they were supposed to be. His fingers had been wrapped separately, leaving them safely covered for the time being.

The blonde in silver and gold was awestruck, staring at his dead hand in fascination.

"…You have the Decay? Now this is very serious…!"

"The what?" Sam asked, but was ignored.

"…Chain him up and put him with the rest. He's to be taken to Sybak as soon as possible."

"No!" came Claudia's distressed yell, fighting more than before to free herself and rush to help her friend. Sam was hoisted back to his feet, and watched as once again the guards approached him, handcuffs at the ready.

It was impossible to break loose, no matter how hard she pulled to release her arms, and all she could do was watch helplessly as Sam stood defenceless against the Eques. Even if she did break out, her interference would only make it worse on them both. She doubted she'd be able to take more than two of the knights by herself before being overpowered…

There was a ring of metal somewhere next to her, and soon enough one of the guards backed away as a great white and blue blade was held to his neck. At the other end, holding it at arms length with ease, was Kratos.

"Stand down, and release the girl." Her other arm was quickly freed, but Claudia was still in awe at how easily he held the great blade up without difficulty. Lowering it to his side he quickly checked her over, before looking towards Sam with a certain determination in his stoic expression, levelling almost on disgust at the Captain's behaviour. Not that Claudia blamed him at all: she'd never seen such a petty human being. Drawing her own weapon, she was about to ask the man at her side if he was going to help her, but at the sound of her blade being pulled he started walking towards the soldiers gathered around Sam and the Captain.

It wasn't long before they were noticed, the young half elf already cuffed and guarded as the blonde leader stepped forward.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Saving my idiot friend!"

"Hey…!" whined Sam, pouting childishly.

"Don't complain: at least I'm helping," Claudia replied, before the Captain started chuckling, making her flinch softly.

"What makes you think you can take on my entire guard? You're outnumbered," he said, gesturing to the men standing around him.

"You need soldiers to escort your prisoners back across the desert. I doubt you'd do so well with only three or four left." Fixed with a glare from the man in silver and gold Kratos was unfazed, and once again Claudia watched him in admiration. The odds were highly stacked against them, but there wasn't a single trace of fear in his voice, which continued to be even and clear. This merely made the man opposing them bear his teeth in an angry snarl, resting his hand on the butt of his firearm.

"I doubt you'll keep that cocky attitude for very long…!"

Each knight drew his weapon, the harsh metallic ring itching at their ears until the two fighters were stood in a semi-circle of glistening swords and spears. As Kratos had said, roughly ten had stayed away along with the Captain, keeping an eye on the captives but still waiting with their weapons drawn. Claudia glanced around them in worry, but still Kratos was unwavering and watching the man in silver and gold through the barricade he'd set up between them.

"Keep them alive if you can: anyone who disobeys the Eques is breaking the law, and adding three prisoners over the loss of one should keep everyone happy."

They started advancing as a pack, keeping tight together to keep the two of them from picking out any weaknesses, with their shields up and their weapons outstretched. Looking wildly from one to another the young redhead was already beginning to panic, and jumped when she heard a clang beside her as two of the soldiers were thrown back. Kratos picked up one of the shields they'd dropped and pulled it onto his arm, before turning to another soldier who charged forward. Noticing how close the few before her were getting Claudia readied her weapon again, and took a shaky breath before daring to move forward.

From where he was being held Sam was watching the auburn haired man, amazed by how quickly he was taking down the soldiers with seemingly simple gestures of his sword. When he swiped… it was hard to describe what happened: it was like a blade of wind or some kind of energy left the tip of his blade and ran across the ground, causing the soldiers to stagger slightly when it hit. The thrusts forced them staggering backwards, more so than any of his usual attacks, and he was making quick work of anyone who stood up against him.

The navy haired boy turned to the Captain with a cocky smile, but quickly noticed his interest in the other half of the fight, and realised he was watching Claudia in amusement. She had taken down three of them, but was struggling to keep back so many at a time and was using her blade to defend herself more and more.

"Having thoughts of grandeur, was she? The way she was fighting earlier made me think she could actually hold her own, but this looks like an easy win for me. That weapon is terrible." Clenching his hands, Sam glared at the Captain with intense hatred, but quickly looked back at his friend when there was a helpless yelp. It was obvious she was being overpowered quickly.

"Damn it Claude! Start fighting for real!"

Shoving her attackers back as much as she could she held up her hand and flashed Sam a rude hand gesture, before giving her sword a flick from her wrist. With a click it extended, a wire releasing from the hilt to the blade, and splitting in the same way until it had separated into eight smaller sections like a whip. With another flick, she swung it in an arch around herself, forcing the closest soldiers to defend themselves in a hurry. Her reach had now extended: arm outstretched, she spun around and aimed the whip roughly at shoulder level, and succeeded in knocking out two more with a sharp blow to the head. Sam gave a cheer, but eventually ran a hand down his face when he realised the wire and last three sections had wrapped around the top of a spear, which didn't budge an inch when she tried to pull it free.

With a pathetic whine she pulled, but it didn't help in the slightest as the knight only pulled her closer to him and his companions. She was about to let go, and yelped when there was a hand around her own, which held on tightly and did another of the jerking motions she'd done before. The whip went slack, and at that moment Kratos pulled her hand back sharply, successfully yanking the spear from the guard's hands and throwing it clear over their heads and out of sight behind the wall. Momentarily stunned she stared at her weapon, the mercenary already back to defending against the quickly dwindling numbers still standing, before snapping it forward and doing the same to another spear wielder. When that sailed over her head and eventually splashed into the oasis she laughed giddily, giving it another small flick before taking out the next soldier.

Watching his numbers being knocked out and easily injured the Captain suddenly looked very pale, shying further and further away from the fight until he was stood behind Sam and the two men guarding him. In the space of only a few minutes almost twenty of his soldiers had been taken down by two redheads - the kicker being that one was a girl - and it looked as if the rest were quickly retreating. If this kept up, he really would have no one left.

He turned to his captives, and was about to give the order to move out when one of his guards was elbowed in the nose by the navy haired half elf. Ducking when the other one lunged at him Sam soon had the keys in hand, and took off at a run with his hands still bound towards the two still fighting.

"Stop the half elf!" bellowed the Captain, drawing his firearm and doing his best to take aim. But Sam had already ducked amongst the remaining soldiers, and threw the keys to Claudia as she retracted the whip.

"Cycle keys?" she asked, quickly removing the cuffs. Reaching into his pocket he soon had the jingling key chain out, and started towards the bike by the inn. Claudia looked at Kratos, who knocked back another three soldiers. "You coming with us?"

Pulling off the shield he threw it at the closest knight, and sheathed his weapon before nodding at Claudia and running after Sam. The engine had already roared to life, and was coming through the door as they approached: Claudia jumped on behind him, with Kratos back to back with her as he sat on the luggage platform. His foot against the rear wheel guard and lights was his only means of supporting himself, especially when the cycle accelerated sharply and tore down the road towards the oasis, weaving between people, fences and buildings until they were clear of the wall on the other side.

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><p>Q&amp;A? Please, my writing is so amazingly awesome and wonderful there shouldn't be a single thing wrong with it in the entire world, or in any language, or in any format of writing- yeah, just prod me if you're confused...<p> 


	5. Snow VS Sand

It's been a week! I swear!

Okay, life happened, and I apologize about that. But I've got two or three more chapters now lined up, and I think they're longer than the first few! So that should maybe possibly be a plus point... Sorry for the longness and the sprawlyness of paragraphs, too.

Ah, who reads these anyway?

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Snow VS Sand<strong>

The cycle lurched violently forward, and cut out.

"What the—" Rolling forward about twenty feet, it didn't take long for the sand to bring it to a complete halt, and with both feet on the ground Sam stared stupidly at the dials in front of him. With an irate grunt Claudia sat up, releasing her friend and running her gloved hands over her face as she muttered incoherently under her breath. Kratos climbed off the bike, which Sam and Claudia did soon afterwards.

"Not _again_…" the girl seethed, still wiping sand from her skin as the half elf knelt by the cycle to check its innards.

"Look, it's not a desert cycle: it's a _snow_ cycle. I already went through this with you!" he snapped back, pulling a panel away and grimacing at the sight underneath.

"So why did you bring this one and not—"

"Because there're no desert cycles at home! Again, I already explained this!"

Digging his fingers into some of the gaps between the pipes he groaned, eventually banging a fist against the side of the fuel tank. "Damn it, everything's back at the inn!"

Only a few miles in front of them were the tell-tale rocks bordering the plains leading to Iselia. They, along with the mountains on either side, were almost lost in a wavering heat devil, making them blend in with the pale blue of the sky along the horizon. It would take an hour or two to walk, at least. Izoold was further, but that wasn't Kratos' destination.

"Stop poking around in there!" He looked back at the two by the bike when Claudia scolded Sam, who had taken off one of his gloves to start fiddling with some of the nuts and bolts in the bowels of the machine.

"What are you: my mother? I know what I'm do—ow!" Claudia ran a hand over her face in dismay, shaking it softly with a sigh before kneeling next to Sam, who was about to stick his finger in his mouth. Seeing the oil, grease and sand on it, he quickly stopped himself.

A drop of blood quickly gathered on the surface of his skin and slithered down his finger, bright red against the murky brown and black that had come from the bike. Reaching into a small box on the side of the vehicle, he soon had a white cloth and a small roll of bandage in hand, and gave the bandage to Claudia as he wiped his finger.

"You're a magic user: why not heal it?" asked Kratos, curious to see him going to all the effort.

"Because when I do…" Sam took the cloth in his teeth, before tearing a short length of bandage off the roll and wrapping it around his minor injury. "…It h'rts my h'nd." Kneeling beside them Kratos took his hand before he could tie it, letting the small piece of cloth unravel again before covering his finger with his hand.

"No, wait—" the half elf started, before flinching when he saw the pale green light of First Aid against his skin. When the auburn haired man took his hand back he stared in surprise, before looking at his other hand, stunned.

"What?"

"It… normally burns when I do that…!" he mumbled, pulling off his glove and checking his right hand: he hadn't had a chance to re-wrap the bandage, so the only parts covered were his fingers and thumb.

"What causes it? That guard seemed very interested," asked Kratos, looking at his greying hand as well.

"Can we not talk about this here? I think I'm melting…" Claudia cut in before Sam could reply, standing up with a groan and running her hands through her hair.

Following suit and getting to his feet, Kratos eyed up the distant rocks again.

"…Which way are you headed?"

"Izoold. We're heading back to Flanoir on the boat tomorrow," the half explained, still marvelling at where he'd hurt himself, and how the injury wasn't there anymore. Quiet for a moment in consideration, Kratos eventually shook his head and looked towards the rocks again.

"I'm afraid I'm heading for Iselia—"

"W-wait!" the redhead exclaimed, stepping in front of him to get his attention. She glanced at Sam, a look of pleading in her eyes as she looked up at Kratos. "…There's going to be guards on the Ossa Trail, and that armour guy said he was sending a message there. We can't go by ourselves!"

"What do you think I can do about it?" came his reply, looking from one to another.

"Well, you knew how to deal with those guys back in town," said Sam, gesturing to Triet behind them with a jab of his thumb. "Could you help us get to Izoold?"

Could he risk getting so close to the Eques guards again? His past two meetings hadn't been the smoothest, so avoiding them was definitely a better idea than trying to sneak past them. The Ossa Trail was hardly known for its hiding places either, except for the mines underneath, and even then they had probably caved in by now. It had been three hundred years.

"I—"

"We can pay you!" Sam quickly cut across him, plunging his hand into his pocket and digging out a leather wallet. Doing the same with her bag Claudia soon had a small beaded purse in hand, and with their heads together they started rooting through both and counting out notes, muttering to each other under their breath. When they eventually turned back to Kratos, they had arranged a small pile together in their hands.

"A thousand gald now, and another thousand when we get there. Deal?" Claudia asked, holding out a small fistful of notes to him. He looked uncertain, crossing his arms and already debating a good, solid 'no', but they quickly brought all the gald together and held it up in front of him. "Two thousand, and… we'll think of something else when we get to Izoold!"

"We can make dinner!"

"Or… uh…"

"More food!"

"Sam…!"

"Or… I dunno… Claudia might help you out, but I'm sixteen and underage, so I guess I'm out of the question—"

"Sam!" Slapped around the back of the head by Claudia the half elf grinned through his wince, rubbing the sore spot he'd earned himself as Kratos stared blankly.

"What? He might swing that way! Y'never know…!"

She rolled her eyes and ran a hand down her face in embarrassment, grumbling profanities under her breath, before turning to the auburn haired man again with an expression of begrudging pleading.

"Look, we can't get there by ourselves. If those guards really are after Sam now, it's going to be hard to get even halfway through the mountain," she said, her brow furrowed. It was likely this wasn't her preferred method of discussion: she was tugging at the strap of her bag, and huffing ever so slightly the longer he took to reply. "C'mon…!" she eventually seethed, but his expression hadn't changed much, earning a disgruntled sigh from the young woman. "Urgh… Please?" The way that word twisted her features into an uncomfortable grimace… He was dealing with a spoilt brat.

"It's only to Izoold, I swear. We'll do anything!" Sam cut across instead, bringing his hands together to beg.

"Fine."

"I'll even—huh?" Big green eyes turned to Kratos in surprise. "What?"

"I'll take you to Izoold."

"R-really?" the young half elf gasped, still staring in shock, before a big grin broke out on his features. "Thank you! Thank you _so_ much!"

"It's alright…" Kratos replied, a little wary of how Sam was hopping up and down in glee. Eventually the boy jumped on Claudia, arms around her shoulders as he hung from her back with his feet in the air.

"See, this guy's awesome!"

"Get off me, you idiot. You're acting like a girl."

Shaking his head softly in dismissal at their behaviour Kratos eventually turned his gaze further north. If the direction they were facing lead to Iselia, then north was probably the right way… It would take an hour or two, which was a bad idea at this time of the day, but they didn't have much of a choice. And the bike would be a problem: if they were recognised, there was no point pushing a dead bike any further. They would probably be known by the cycle alone, so leaving it behind was the better option.

"If we're going to Izoold, we should leave when it gets dark. It'll take a few hours—"

"That's something I was going to ask!" Cut across mid-sentence, the auburn haired man turned to Sam again, brow raised in question and eyes narrowed slightly in agitation from being cut across in the first place. "How did you get to Triet so fast? We came along the road on a cycle, and it still took us almost three hours."

"I know a few routes around here that others don't. They must've been shorter than the road you took," he explained, though that was far from the truth. He'd merely flown across the water: he didn't realise that anyone from Luin would be around the desert to recognise him. Still, it was in the past, and as both youngsters nodded he was relieved to see that he didn't need to elaborate more than that, his lies easily swallowed. "As I was saying, we'll need to make shade until it cools. We'll set off in two hours."

"What are we supposed to do 'till then? We're stuck in the middle of the desert with a broken bike, no food or water, and maybe some guards chasing after us. Shouldn't we go hide somewhere?" asked Claudia, looking around them again with an irate grunt.

"The worst you can do when you're in the desert is walk during the daytime. Our best option is to wait."

And wait they did. Using Kratos' old cloak they made themselves a make-shift tent, held up by the cycle and both bladed weapons in their possession. All three were crouched underneath, and as Sam tried once again to work on the vehicle Claudia started sighing despondently.

"Man, the bag with out food in it is still at the inn…" she grumbled, keeping a wary eye on where the half elf was poking his fingers as she leant back against the cycle. On occasion she would bat his hand away, but he'd be back at it soon enough.

"Check my bag if you're hungry."

"I'm not hungry. I'm just worried that we're not going to have enough water to last until the trail…" She tugged at the strap hanging around his shoulder and pulled his satchel towards herself. "I don't think you have _anything_ in here…"

"Hey, I have… stuff… I think…" came his mumbled reply, his finger still niggling between the pipes and digging out more lumps of oily sand. Reaching into the bag Claudia pulled out a roll of bandage, a half full bottle of water, and—

"What the—why do you have a gel jar…?" Unscrewing the lid she peered inside. "Full of SAND?"

"Hey, it's not sand! It's that dust we found in the cave back home! Remember: it smelt like that musk stuff Tabitha gave you—"

"Why the hell do you have a jar of _perfumed_ sand?" Claudia sniggered instead with a smirk, making the poor boy pink in the cheeks.

Sam snatched both it and the lid back and eventually stuffed it back into his bag, his extended arm being the one that ended with his grey and 'decaying' hand. Without the bandage, Kratos could clearly see white mark the soldier in Triet had mentioned.

Halfway up his lower arm, on the paler skin of the underside, a white mark was clear even against his fair complexion: a thin dragon or serpent, wrapped around a crescent shape, roughly two to three inches in diameter. Below that his arm was fine until his wrist, flesh gradually turning sickly grey, the blue of his veins disappearing under the sallow skin as it stretched like leather across his bones.

It wasn't hard for the half-elf to catch him staring. Sitting down properly he managed a soft sigh, wiping his good arm across his sweaty forehead as he looked down at his bad hand.

"Guess you want to know more about this then…"

"We won't be moving for at least another two hours. I think this gives you a perfect opportunity."

"Right… So, we're from Flanoir, right? Cold island to the north, covered in monsters. Me 'n' Claude—"

"'Claude and I'."

"Shut up, smartass! Anyway, we were playing out in the snowfields, just on the outskirts with her brother and sister, when we were attacked by some of those monsters. They snuck up on us or something…I don't remember, but I do remember James- her brother- being hit pretty bad. We were all hurt in some way or another: I was only nine, so Tabitha was dragging me along to get me out of there when James was bitten. Man, there was so much blood… I panicked a little, especially when Tab started fighting back that bear, but I knew I could help him because I could use healing magic. Not much: it was never that strong when I was little, but my dad still taught me what he could. So I knew I had to do something.

"The first try wasn't much. It didn't actually change, though the second time did slow the bleeding down a little. All I could think of was what would happen if I couldn't help him. I thought he was going to die, even though he was actually telling me he was alright. Coherently speaking right at me, and if he wanted to he could probably limp away, but that was still all I could think."

"Man, you were crying so much…" mumbled Claudia, her features mostly blank as she stared out across the desert.

"Hey, those bears were, like, three times my—no, _your_ size, and back then you were pretty big to me," Sam retorted, but ignored her glare as he looked at his hand again. "The next thing I knew it was like something had sucked all the wind out of me. I couldn't breathe, and I blacked out. Apparently I was out for hours, but when I came to all four of us were fine. They were all worried as hell, but there wasn't a single mark on any of us. Oh, except for my fingers," he added at the end, holding up the still bandaged digits. "They weren't getting any colour back, no matter how much they warmed me up. Everyone thought I'd caught some weird frostbite, but when nothing fell off they assumed I was alright and kinda ignored it."

He pulled the roll of bandage from his bag again, and like before he wrapped it around his hand.

"As you can see, though, it's been getting worse. It can take months before there's any noticeable change, but if you're not looking then it's not that different. But using magic makes it burn like hell, so my mom treats bandages for me to use," he explained, wrapping it a fair way up his arm like before. "It stops it from spreading."

"There was no sign of this at all before you were nine?" asked Kratos, arms crossed in contemplation as he watched Sam. Claudia moved only to hold the bandage in place as Sam put a pin through, the softest of frowns on her features.

"Nope, nothing. Or at least nothing noticeable," he explained, letting out another small sigh as he looked at his bandage with a small smile. "That's definitely way better."

"What else do you know about it?"

"Not much. And as long as it doesn't kill me, stays down on my hand, I don't really care all that much." The frown disappeared from Claudia's face when he said this, and she rolled her eyes as she leant back against the bike with her arms crossed behind her head.

"That soldier in Triet called it the 'Decay', and he seemed to be interested in taking you only after he realised you had it," the mercenary mused aloud, before meeting Sam's gaze again. "What's in Sybak?"

"The University and that giant library, as well as one of the biggest prisons run by the Eques, second only to the one in Meltokio. They practically run that place these days."

Resting a hand against his chin Kratos nodded slowly, looking out across the desert. These soldiers had such a stranglehold on the world: it wasn't that dissimilar to the Desians, only as far as he could make out from the information he'd been given so far the Eques merely arrested criminals, from the petty to the insane. The prisoners they'd seen hardly looked different from anyone else, so it was doubtful they were being experimented on.

But the Sybak prison… There were so many basement routes in the old Research Institute that it wouldn't surprise him if there was something going on between them and the prison. Other than assaulting the guard the navy haired half elf before him had done nothing to warrant arrest, and there was still the point that he wasn't a target until his bandage was taken off. What would a prison want with someone with that condition if it wasn't to 'take a closer look'?

Was he looking too deeply into this? He had no grounds to suspect the Eques of anything other than cruel and inhuman punishment… But after four thousand years of keeping an eye on the Desians he could see nothing but the deceit behind this new threat. The identification they were forcing civilians to carry all the time was too suspicious to ignore as well, and was a problem for him as a man _without_ any.

The sun was beginning to dip into the horizon. They'd been sat under their makeshift tent for almost two hours, during which both young adults sat before Kratos had been playing various games to pass the time. For almost an hour they'd been pulling the gestures for 'Rock, Paper, Scissors', with no sign of Sam giving up.

"Seriously, my arm is tired. Can I give up?"

"No way, I'm on a winning streak here…!"

Shaking his head softly Kratos delved into his bag and pulled out the food hidden inside.

"Eat. It's going to take a couple of hours to get to the trail on foot," he said, handing them the flask of water as well.

"Hey, cake…!"

"Okay, now I definitely wish the bike was still working…" Claudia grumbled, tearing off a lump from the half loaf in her hand.

"Shut up. She was a work of art 'til we got to the desert. Just wait until I get her back to Flanoir."

"We're not taking the cycle."

"What?"

Sam's face fell when Kratos repeated himself, so despondently that if his eyes went any wider it wouldn't surprise the eldest of the three if they fell out completely.

"But… b-but…!"

"Even if it was working, how did you expect us to get a vehicle of that size past the guards at the Ossa Trail? We'd be spotted before we even managed to get close."

"Y-yeah, but—"

"Do you want to get caught? I thought the reason you asked me to help you was to get you safely to Izoold, correct?" Kratos continued sternly.

"But she's my _baby…_!"

"Sam, he's right. There's no way we can get it past the guards if they're waiting for you. There's no doubt they got a message there already, especially if you're not the only one they're looking for," Claudia tried to explain to the half elf, who was still pouting helplessly as he looked from his friend to the bike they were leant against.

"B-but…"

"I'll help you get another one, okay? Just leave this one here."

"…Okay…"

It took a while for Sam to actually leave the vehicle. Other than the small box on the side, there was the box on the back that Kratos had been sat on as they escaped Triet which held a few odds and ends, and he was insistent on salvaging what he could wrench off that still worked. By the end his bag was stuffed to bursting, only just managing to avoid a half full fuel tank and a gearbox shoved inside it.

Folding his cloak Kratos stowed it away in his own bag, sheathing his sword and taking another look around the desert. There hadn't been a single sign of anyone else for miles, the track they'd left in the sand already gone after so many winds. It had already cooled down so much compared to only a few hours ago, and it wouldn't be long before the sun would be beyond the horizon: hopefully these two children would be able to take the cold as they slept. They'd be in it until they reached the trail at least.

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><p>This chapter was going to be called 'Abandoning the Baby' just because of Sam and the bike, but I opted against it. Comment if there's anything you don't understand!<p> 


	6. Flashback to Lunch

See? Updated in a week! I actually kept my word this time!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Flashback to Lunch<strong>

"_No… N-no—Raine, wait another minute."_

"_But the longer we wait, the more we waste keeping the heat! If we put this in now—"_

"_It'll take longer, and it'll be ruined! Just—"_

"_You can help me, Professor!"_

_A small plateau near the top of the mountain had been the perfect place to stop for a break. Since setting off from Triet in the earlier hours of the morning they'd arrived at the trail connecting the edge of the desert to Izoold on the other side, and after a clash with an assassin near the base they'd stopped halfway across to gather their energies. It had been a harsh climb, and now that the midday sun was on them it made sense to pause. At this time of year it was always best to wait when the sun was at its harshest and, if possible, rest, to save from exhaustion and heat stroke. If any of them were affected by the sun it would take them even longer to get to the port town._

_Setting up a small fire in a ring of stones a weathered old pot was quickly filled with water and left to boil, the small group splitting what chores there were to prepare lunch between them to get them done faster. Since setting off almost a week ago they hadn't had much of a chance to relax like this: after travelling for hours they'd drop off to sleep in moments, and at any other time they were often pursued by Desians, monsters, or both. It wasn't hard to see why everyone was at ease._

"_Is this alright, Genis?" asked Colette, showing a mishmash of roughly diced carrots to the young half elf._

"_That's great! Just put them in the bowl for now—Hey, why aren't you helping?"_

_Hands on his hips, Genis was now looking at the boy in red sat a little ways from the fire, bent over whatever he was fiddling with in his hands with a level of concentration the half elf had never seen before. On the floor to his left were his gloves, dropped and forgotten the moment he sat down. When Genis snapped at him he looked up with a pout._

"_What—I'm fixing this for Colette! Ask Kratos to help!"_

"_He _is _helping!" Lloyd flinched at his friend's quick reply, the hand that flung out to point at the mercenary on the other side of the fire causing the older of the two to duck, in the fear that something was about to be hurled in his direction. But he was sat back upright in seconds, and waving airily in dismissal._

"_I'll help in a minute!"_

"_You better had, or you're not getting any!"_

_It'd been a while since they'd been laughing as well. It may have been from poking fun, but it was laughter all the same, like nothing was wrong at all. From his previous experience it wasn't often that a pilgrimage such as this would have any kind of real joy. Priests would be present, not friends, and when outside the towns and cities filled with salvation-searching citizens the conversations would dwindle quickly into silence. That's how a Journey of Regeneration would normally be carried out, but this cycle had taken a cruel twist right at the beginning with the death of the priests right at the doors of the Martel Temple._

_Was it a good thing to see the latest Chosen of Regeneration so happy? Amongst friends, who had joined her with the desire to protect her from the murderous Desians, and the cruel creatures that roamed the seals she had to break? Who, in the end, would watch all that work be for nil, and have that beloved person die to save the world?_

_It would be difficult, but he had no doubts that they would make it somehow. Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration from Iselia, had such a steadfast group of friends from her hometown joining her that it was doubtful they'd let her meet her grim end. Raine, her school teacher, had come along as a guardian because of her interest in the angel transformation and the ruins they'd be exploring, but the concern for her pupil was clear enough as well. Ever since her collapse at the Triet Ruins, Raine had kept a close eye on Colette for any other signs of illness: if she was suffering in any way, the poignant feeling would quickly spread to the others._

_It was during their brief stay in Triet that they were joined by Lloyd and Genis. Having been left in Iselia they quickly caught up, despite the older of the two being captured by Renegades, and already the positive changes to the Chosen's mood was obvious. Though worrying about their welfare it was clear she was happy they were around, but Kratos had his doubts that they would be able to keep up such a carefree attitude. Palmacosta had more than its fair share of Desians: one wrong move, and they could all be killed… Well, that's what he was here for._

_But for Lloyd to be here as well… He thought he'd managed to keep him in Iselia by leaving early, but his stubborn attitude clearly wouldn't let them go so easily. He may have held his own against the guardians in the Triet Ruins, but would he be able to stand up to what was still to come? To have Lloyd die at the Tower of Salvation, or at any point during the Journey of Regeneration…_

_He'd have to wait and see. His devotion for the Chosen would likely get him through a lot, and he seemed to have inherited a lot of bull-headedness. The next few months would be the perfect opportunity to get to know just how far he would go to save her._

It was very close to midnight by now, the moon beginning to dip in the sky but still beaming bright. Without it, they would've been lost somewhere on the mountain side, or worse; still down amongst the guards, barely moments from capture. They'd been lucky to get so far without trouble, using the landscape to their advantage and keeping to the shadows of the trees, and it didn't seem that anyone had been up the path itself for years. He was lucky to still make out what was left of it between piles of rubble from rockslides, with overgrown plants taking over the rest. Despite being unkempt the tiny plateau near the crest of the mountain was still there, a thick carpet of grass having grown and providing a comfortable, makeshift bed to sleep on for the time being.

Over the years the mines beneath the Ossa Trail had been expanded and strengthened, and had become what the locals now knew as the Ossa Pass. With such an easy road passing through underneath the mountain range it was only to be expected that the old trail had fallen out of use, especially considering the amount of vehicles that must pass through on a daily basis, such as the young half elf's cycle. But the road was heavily guarded, with a toll at the desert end and most likely another at the other, and since word had most likely been passed to the soldiers here the security was even tighter than Kratos had expected. Several times they'd almost been spotted on their way to the old trail, and he refused to chance staying too long anywhere along it.

Sam and Claudia were sitting against one of the few trees that were there, fast asleep and leaning against each other with Kratos' cloak wrapped around them. Kratos himself was a short distance away beneath another tree, looking out across the view sprawled before him, which was bathed in moonlight: the desert, with Triet lost somewhere in the waves of sand. They weren't stopping for long just in case a patrol did make its way up past them. There had been signs of people passing through, not enough to be noticeable to the average eye and definitely too careful to have been made by marching guards, but he wasn't willing to take the chance. If someone had been up here he didn't want them to alert the guards, especially if it meant another run in with those darts.

The moon was almost out of sight by now, and the colour started to fade into the sky, each star blinking out one by one. It may have been only a few hours but a rest was still a rest, and they had to get moving to get down the other side before it was too light. Getting to his feet he went to the two teens still sleeping peacefully, and gave their feet a gentle nudge.

"Wake up." Sam rolled over with a groan and curled up on his side amongst the roots, whilst Claudia stretched her back and squinted as she unfolded her arms, looking up at Kratos.

"W-what…?" she mumbled, fighting back a yawn as the cloak fell from her shoulders. The half elf muttered something, just like he had been for most of the night, but didn't move. "How long've we been—?"

"A few hours. We should get moving, before it gets light," said Kratos, bending down to pick up his cloak. A corner was still caught in Sam's hand, but with a sharp tug it was relinquished and he groaned again.

"Not yet…!" he whined, curling up even tighter. Claudia dug a finger into his side, making him jump.

"C'mon…"

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><p>Such a swarm of metal-clad men there had never been. A vicious clanking filled the air, the scrape of rusty plates and heavy boots rattling the nerves of every resident in Izoold, chasing every man, woman and child indoors. Even then they weren't safe as they stormed in every house, cleared every cupboard, leaving no stone unturned. Pasting posters of escapees on every wall, door and post they could they interrogated all they saw.<p>

A market was beginning to take form near the main dock. Despite the looming shadow of the soldiers the fishermen were revelling in the early morning sea breeze, setting up their stalls under the misty light with cheerful banter. Long sun beams swept between the buildings, accompanied by an accordion and a gentle ring of bells over the murmur of the crowd.

Grinning like a fool Sam lead the way through the people pushing past, followed closely by Claudia and Kratos. He passed from stall to stall with enthusiasm, checking over whatever the merchant had to sell: most were fish, but there was the occasional one where the goods were material, such as bracelets or clothes. Sam seemed to be looking for the more mechanical side of 'material', and there did seem to be the occasional scrap cart lined up amongst the rest offering their wares in the misty morning sun.

A few steps behind him was Claudia, looking from one stall to another a little more carefully than him, browsing the glistening shelves with cat-like curiosity. After another small cart from Ozette, covered in carved wooden trinkets, came a stand littered with jewellery, at which her eyes seemed to glow in awe. The bracelets that jingled amused her most, and she gave one or two a shake before settling on a green and silver one laced with small bells, handing over a few notes to the owner with a smile. A few small bags of beads made their way into her possession, as well as string and wire, and once she was satisfied she headed after Sam.

Other than fish and jewellery there wasn't much being sold. There was little focus on defence, despite the fact that Kratos had seen many people armed, including the two he was escorting. If it was unusual the 'Eques' would have surely brought it up before now…

Slowly they made their way down to the port between the stalls, heading to the boats waiting in the water to sail to Flanoir and Palmacosta. Bobbing up and down their passengers were already boarding, heaving their luggage up the ramps and handing their tickets to the stewards waiting on the deck. As Kratos approached the two kids waiting on the stone port he looked up at the body of the nearest ship, the paint discoloured from years of ferrying people back and forth between the continents. But Sam and Claudia were staring up at the boat as well, watching everyone board with grave expressions.

"What's wrong?" he asked, crossing his arms. Soon enough they were hanging their heads.

"Our tickets… they're back in my bag in Triet…" the young woman muttered, running her hands across her face.

"And you keep saying _I'm_ the idiot…?" She glared at Sam when he said this, grumbling in frustration. "Why didn't you keep them in your bag?"

"Because last time _you_ did that, they were stolen, and we had to ask Patrick to buy the tickets home again…!"

"S-shut up…!"

As they started bickering Kratos ran a hand down his face despondently, shaking his head softly.

"When did you realise this?" he asked, managing to silence them both. There was an awkward murmur.

"…Just now. When I looked in my bag. They were in my notebook, which I thought I had with me, but I… don't…" Once again Claudia hid her face, what was visible of her cheeks between her fingers almost as red as her hair. Sam hung his head again, muttering curses under his breath.

"Great…"

Letting out a gentle sigh Kratos' gaze drifted back towards town, over the tops of the stalls towards the buildings near the entrance.

"…Let's go to the inn for now. You can think of what to do from there."

"You mean 'call Tab and Pat and ask them to send us money'? Yeah, that's another three days we're gonna be stuck here…" the half elf grunted, agitated as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Rubbing her eyes Claudia nodded in agreement, leaning against the railing of the dock.

"It's the least they can do after we helped her move her stuff down here," she grumbled, to which Sam grunted at as he slouched grumpily.

"Yeah, but just wait 'till they hear about _why_ we haven't got our tickets."

Eyeing up a passing group of troops Sam slouched further, features shadowed with a frown as he stepped closer to Claudia.

"Let's go to the inn…"

Since the time Kratos was last here Izoold, like Triet and Luin, had undergone drastic changes. The buildings were made of brick and stone, lining the new roads behind tall, smokey-blue lampposts, looking more and more like the Sybak of old. Other than the market stalls there were small shops to draw in more tourism to the coast, mostly selling fish, but plenty of people were milling about from window to window. There were so many new buildings the shape of the once small village had changed completely, with only the road to guide them down the main stretch of town. He counted himself lucky to be familiar with vehicles, or the few trucks driving through town would have been too much for him to take.

Peering out from behind net curtains Sam frowned as another patrol thundered past the front of the inn. Kratos and Claudia were standing at the counter and speaking with the keeper, a portly woman with a rosy-cheeked smile, but he couldn't care less as he leant against the window sill. Now they were stuck on the mainland, surrounded by Eques guards, without their possessions… And without his bikes they'd have to travel everywhere on foot. Scowling, he huffed a sigh and let the curtain fall again, and turned back into the main room.

"You alright?"

He stepped back, pressing himself against the wall at a presence that had been behind him, and peered down into the black and gold eyes looking back at him.

"U-uh… yeah. Thanks."

He'd never been so close to a demon before, not even a half-demon. This one was a young woman around his age, with a heart shaped face and a pleasant smile on dark lips. Dressed in a mossy green halter neck top and a pair of three-quarter length trousers her midriff, arms and lower legs were exposed, displaying reddish-brown skin and dark freckles. Long, rose-pink hair hung down to her lower back, held back in two high pigtails and tied at the top and bottom with black bands. When she stood she jingled slightly, two golden hoops around her neck and three around each wrist, and an anklet laced with bells that rang as she walked.

With a soft giggle she smiled again, brushing side swept bangs from those black and gold eyes of hers.

"Good!" And with that, she was headed out the door with a basket on her arm, long hair trailing behind her.

"Sam!"

"W-what?" He turned towards the counter when Claudia called his name, before looking towards the stairs when he realised that she and Kratos had moved.

"Get off the wall! We've got to call Tab!" she sniggered with a smirk, shaking her head as she followed the auburn haired man up the stairs.

"H-hey, shut up! She just came out of nowhere…!" Pouting childishly he quickly followed: she'd never let him live this down.

Their room was down the end of the corridor, but Claudia and Sam stopped at the top of the stairs at a small box with a screen by the window. There was a handheld receiver to the left, along with a number pad beneath it and a small slot for money at the top. Above the screen was a small black dot. Sighing softly Claudia fed a handful of coins into the slot and knelt before the device, holding the receiver to her ear.

"This is so embarrassing…" she mumbled, pressing in a number.

"Yeah, well…" Sam tried to reply, but after a minute or so of staring at the blank screen he eventually gave up and let his shoulders hang in dismay. "Yeah. You're right…"

From the handset Kratos could hear a beeping noise, which stopped every few seconds before starting again, until the screen switched on and there was a soft clatter from the speaker. A young maid came up on the screen, smiling politely.

"_Good morning, Jones' household_—" she started, before recognition spread across her face and her smile widened. "_Ah, hello Miss Claudia_!"

"Hi Katia…" the redhead mumbled, resting her head in her other hand. She could only just manage a dismal smile of her own. "Is Tabitha there? Or Patrick?"

"_Master Patrick is right here. I'll hand you to him now_."

The young woman stepped to one side as a man came into view, tall and thin with a mop of brunette hair on his head, which was tied back in a simple ponytail. Dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers he smiled as he took the receiver, and gave Claudia and Sam a wave.

"_Hi guys. You at Izoold_?"

"Uh, yeah… About that…"

His face fell a little, brow furrowing slightly in concern as he leant against the table the screen at his end was housed on.

"_What's happened_?" he asked, and Claudia ran a hand across her face in dismay.

"Something. In Triet. We had to leave our bags, and our tickets were in mine…" He sighed softly, but was smiling in amusement as he shook his head.

"_So you need more? What about your ID_?" At this the redhead jabbed a thumb at Sam, who was watching the screen with seemingly no clue as to what was going on.

"Yeah, in Sam's bag, thankfully."

"_You should keep them all together! It's safer that way!_"

Head against the table top Claudia was nodding, hiding beneath her arm in shame.

"I know…"

"_You know the drill: it'll take two days to get the money down to you, and another day for the tickets to be validated. Do you have enough to stay at the inn that long?_" he asked instead, and once again Claudia nodded. "_Good. Do you want me to let Tabitha know what's going on?_"

"Hell no. You crazy?" This only made Patrick laugh, and after parting words Claudia hung up and rose to her feet.

"What'd he say?" asked Sam.

"Three days. 'Till then, we stay here." He didn't seem too pleased by this, but nodded all the same.

"I guessed as much…"

Both turned to Kratos, who was still stood at the top of the stairs behind them.

"Are you staying here, or going to Iselia right away?" Sam asked in curiosity, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

"You're paying me until you get on the boat, aren't you?" he asked, and both nodded. "Then I'll spend the night. The Eques will probably be here until tomorrow morning as well."

With his time now spare until tomorrow morning Kratos set about planning his route. Not to Iselia: that trip was barely a stone's throw away, but after that there were many places he wanted to visit. Heimdall, Palmacosta, Meltokio… The places occupied by the Eques he might have to rethink, but he would try his best to catch a glimpse at least. Maybe he could find out more about who was behind it, and their motivation. There had to be a reason for such an extreme method of keeping criminals, and the identification system was beyond unnecessary. What was the world coming to?

Settling at a bench down by the port he drew the map again and spread it out across the table top, using his bag to keep it pinned against the wind coming in off the ocean. After Iselia… Maybe south, to Palmacosta, then over to Heimdall. From there he could go to Meltokio, then Sybak, and then Flanoir. Going there any time too soon to when these two kids went might be too peculiar to them, so saving it for last was probably for the best. Then… well, Derris-Kharlan was close enough for the next two weeks. He could decide then whether he wanted to stay or not. There was nothing left up there other than the angels, and they were fully capable of taking care of the planet… But was there anything worth staying for on this strange new world?

It was almost like going back in time, back to when he was young: devices like the half elf's cycle and the screen back in the inn were popular around his childhood, or at least his teenage years. They had something like it in their own home, only there was no screen attached back then…

Barely registering the two young adults in his charge when they sat down opposite him, he only looked up when they placed a small wrapped item next to his arm. Bringing his attention to them he found Sam grinning at him.

"It's raspberry shortcake—for what we ate in the desert yesterday," he explained, before quickly adding "Oh, and for helping us get here in the first place. It's not much, but it's something, right?"

He stared at the small lump for a moment, but soon nodded and picked it up, tucking it into the front pocket of his bag.

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

"And…" Claudia spoke this time, delving into her pockets and drawing her small beaded purse. "…What we owe you anyway. You got us here, so this is yours." She counted out the two thousand gald, folded the notes, and held them out to him. "I don't think we'd have made it past those guards at the Ossa Pass, especially with the bike. And we definitely wouldn't have found that path over the mountain."

"Yeah, that was really lucky. How long has that been there for?" asked Sam, leaning forward inquisitively.

"A long time. Much longer than the road, at least."

"Wow. Must be _really_ old then."

* * *

><p>The reviews I'm getting are really nice: thanks guys! I especially liked the 'Haha, abandoning the baby indeed'. It made me lol.<p> 


	7. New Threads

Okay, there's been a huge delay for this one, and for that I do apologise. It was supposed to go up at the end of November- heck, even before that!- but my sister never read over it. Ignore any mistakes you find, and anything that confuses you I'll try and sort out. It sucks not having things beta'd, but fjfjakhjslkdhbcsjcbsdk*seeth*.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: New Threads<strong>

"Ah, hello!" A shadow loomed over them with a soft jangle of metal bracelets, and all three at the table looked up at the rose-haired girl from the inn, carrying a now full basket on her arm. She smiled brightly at them. "You're staying at the inn, yeah?"

"That's us," Sam replied, grinning back. With her arms crossed Claudia leant against the table as she looked at the half-demon, gazing over the top of her red-rimmed glasses. The girl didn't seem to notice, resting a corner of the basket on the table.

"If you want, I'm helping mam make lunch: cod, and vegetable rolls!" She had a soft accent, one that was often attributed to people from Palmacosta, but the local voice was still strong in her words as she spoke. Sam was still smiling, and looked at Claudia enthusiastically.

"How 'bout it? Lunch sounds good right about now."

"Yeah, but it won't be for another two hours," she told him, grabbing the chain hanging from his waistcoat pocket and tugging a brass watch into sight. He looked at it himself, and pouted at the time.

"Oh yeah…"

"If you're hungry now, maybe I can make a quick something for you?" the girl offered instead, rummaging through her basket. "…Or… An apple, maybe?"

Within moments she held a shiny red apple out to Sam.

"I don't think mam will miss one."

"Oh, thanks!" It didn't take long for the half elf to be chomping on it, humming happily in delight.

"Are you going to the evening market tonight?" the young woman asked instead, adjusting the basket handle on her arm. Kratos watched as the two opposite him cast each other a clueless glance.

"The what?" Claudia eventually asked, Sam's mouth still too full of apple to reply without spitting.

"It's an end of week event, for merchants who want to sell the last of their merchandise before heading home," explained the auburn haired man, and the girl from the inn nodded.

"Exactly! Big gathering! Bonfire and music and dancing! Lots of fun!" she told them, black and gold eyes shining slightly in enthusiasm. "Things normally sell cheap, too! Very nice things!"

"We should go!" Finally swallowing his mouthful Sam could finally exclaim this in excitement. "We haven't been to anything like that since the fair almost three months ago back home!"

"Yeah, 'cause we didn't have any money!" Claudia replied haughtily. As the half elf started pouting, watching her with saucer-like eyes, the girl from the inn shook her head.

"You don't have to pay for anything if you don't want to, yeah? Just go for the music: won't be another one until next week. I'll be dancing too!" she gushed, before a boat horn sounded nearby. "Oh, I need to go. Enjoy your afternoon! See you back at the inn!"

"Thanks, uh…" Sam started as she turned to walk away, though as he said this she turned back and winked with a grin, revealing small, elongated canines.

"Valanoir Dewight!"

As she walked off, hips bouncing slightly as she almost skipped down the path, Sam waved after her with a big grin. When he finally settled back down he noticed Claudia as she leant against the table, her head propped up on her arm as she gave him a sceptical look with an eyebrow quirked.

"What?"

"What are you: blind? She was putting the moves on you!"

"Huh? Don't be stupid! She was just being nice!"

"You saw that wink, right? She was seriously coming on to you…" Running a hand over his face Kratos could do nothing more than roll his eyes.

Another swarm of soldiers started parading about the docks, and so the group of three decided it would be best to relocate to somewhere out of sight. Sam and Claudia headed back to the inn, leaving Kratos to explore the now modern Izoold, to re-accustom himself to this old style of town. To him it was old: the closest he'd seen any town or city come to this level of development since the Kharlan War was Meltokio, and even then that wasn't much compared to how life was _before_ the war. This was probably technology his parents had grown up amongst, but there were some things that hadn't been around back then at all.

Since mana had been rich back during the war the technology was run almost completely by magic. As that dwindled Exspheres came into use more prominently, awakened by the Desians to be used in any way they were necessary. Now that both sources of power were barely ghosts around here machines had taken on a strange image: lined with pipes the larger boats seemed to be powered by some kind of fuel-burning engine, large plumes of smoke escaping the towering funnels reaching up from the decks. Everything had taken on a wood-and-brass image.

The large passenger ships filled the docks with their immense bulk: the last vessel he'd seen that was anywhere near that size had been the war ship in Palmacosta, and even that seemed small and primitive compared to the boats resting in the water.

There was a separate dock for older boats. Most were made of metal, with the occasional wooden ship moored amongst them, and as expected almost all of them seemed to be owned by fishermen. The decks were littered with nets, baskets, buckets and ropes, but a lot of the owners were probably still at the market, either buying or selling. The more colourful ones appeared to belong to travellers or locals, one small one named after the school near the inn, and another the natural deep red colour of the wood it was built from. This section of the dock felt more like the world he knew…

After a brief walk around town Kratos eventually came to the buildings closer to the outskirts, a few farmhouses dotted here and there across the grasslands with their herds safely confined in wide pens. There were definitely more of them than there were before, the woodlands becoming smaller as fences surrounded any land claimed by the farmers out on the plains. Roads were more distinct as well from daily use, a large truck making its way towards the Ossa Pass at this very moment.

"Okay, so then you…" It was nearing midday by now, the sun high up above and warming the wind coming in from the sea. A lot of the locals had wandered to the outskirts after their morning in the market, and were making themselves comfortable in the grass to enjoy lunch, most likely bought from one of the stalls themselves. In the shade of a tree not far from the inn Kratos eventually found the two young adults he had escorted that morning, their small bags and their weapons abandoned amongst the roots as Sam and Claudia stood roughly three feet apart.

Holding a small dagger the half elf was nodding slowly as he listened to his companion speak, whilst she held her sword at the ready behind her. Lifting it up in a slow arch over her head she brought it down towards his.

"If it's from above…?" she asked, smiling when he brought the knife up to defend himself. "Right! And then…" She brought it around from the side, and once again he moved to stop her.

"Just wait 'till this is for real. Then you'll see how hopeless I am," he joked in reply, pretending to bring the dagger down in a fell swoop from above and making her chuckle.

"You'll be fine. Just enough to get away."

It didn't take them long to spot Kratos as he approached, and Sam was quick to wave him over with an enthusiastic grin like always.

"I've been wanting to ask you for a while now, but: how did you beat those guys in the desert so quickly?" the boy asked, sliding the dagger back into its scabbard, which was tucked into the top of his long boots. "It was just amazing! I've never seen anyone fight like that before! And when you swiped—I swear, it was like you were moving the _wind_!" He truly was enthralled: when he looked back at Kratos his eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Don't you know artes?" The two friends looked at each other blankly, then back at Kratos.

"Know 'what's?" Claudia replied, her nose wrinkled.

"Weapon skills. As you fight, you learn and develop them," he tried to explain, but their bemused expressions remained the same. He sighed, before turning to Claudia. "Do you stand there and swing your sword aimlessly at your opponent?" This flustered her slightly.

"W-what—No!"

"Then you have a certain style? Using a bladed whip takes a lot of skill."

"She hardly uses the whip in a real fight, except when they're far away." She shot Sam a glare when he muttered this, and with a quiet cackle he sat down beneath the tree.

"I _have_ used it in a real fight. You're just never around!" He waved her words off airily, and with a huff she turned back to Kratos, her arms crossed.

"I'm learning at that part. But I can use the sword."

"But you can't use artes?"

"W-well… No," she mumbled in embarrassment, turning her gaze to the floor in shame. Another quiet sigh escaped Kratos' lips: even Lloyd could do the basics when he met him. "…How do you do it? It doesn't look that hard."

He lifted his hand and showed her the gem attached to the back of his hand, which glinted blue in the sunlight.

"Exspheres makes learning artes easier: they excel physical abilities, making the user stronger," he explained, and while Claudia was awed by the bauble he had Sam seemed sceptical.

"That little gem? No way."

"You'd be surprised at what this 'little gem' can do," the auburn haired man replied, and as Sam leant back against the tree again with a shrug Kratos looked at Claudia once again, motioning for her to step back. "With practice, you can attack like this."

He drew his sword, the long silvery-white and blue blade flashing briefly as he swung it in a wide arch. Along the crescent shape he drew in the air came a blaze of white, which pelted across the grass towards Sam as he yelped in surprise.

Scrambling to his feet the half elf stared at the line embedded in the bark of the tree just a little to the left of where he was sitting, hardly as amused as Claudia was as she sniggered under her breath. Sheathing his sword again Kratos turned the redhead.

"Without an Exsphere it can be difficult to get the energy together to do the same, but it's not impossible. Demon Fang is one of the staple basics of swordplay."

"Demon Fang? Never heard of it…" she mumbled, but drew her sword all the same. "But I'm definitely going to do this. I'll make this work!"

Lowering the sword down past her waist, she swung the blade in the same fashion as Kratos had done only moments before. Sam flinched, but nothing happened…

"W-what…?" She tried again, stepping into it with determination and pouting when the result was the same. "Damn it…!"

"It'll take a while. Just as I said: it's more difficult without an Exsphere," Kratos tried to reassure her, keeping an eye on where her sword was actually going, but she didn't seem to be listening.

"How 'bout… NOW!"

"Uh…"

"…Damn it!"

"Claude, I'm going to go get lunch."

"…_Damn it_!"

"You want anything?"

"…_DAMN IT!_" With a shrug the half elf turned away, looking back at Kratos when he realised he was still watching Claudia in disbelief.

"Want to go get something to eat?"

* * *

><p>"Oh, so you came!" Wandering into the dinning room of the Seagull Inn Kratos and Sam had barely had a chance to look around before they were approached by Valanoir from earlier that morning. The young half elf grinned.<p>

"Yeah, I got a little hungry," he replied, and within moments they were guided to one of the empty tables, which was next to a window with a beautiful view across the ocean.

"You have perfect timing: we just finished cooking!" the young woman beamed, before dashing off towards the kitchen with a skip in her step.

There were no remnants of the old inn visible. The dinning area was small, housing five round tables (four seats to each) with a wide doorway leading to three more tables outside, which looked out across the ocean. Though the building was made of stone the floors were wooden, the clunking of footsteps warmer across them than they were on the stone outside. There were one or two familiar old paintings on the walls, including an old map hanging between the door that lead outside and one of the windows, depicting Sylverant. Lights hung in clusters of three outwards-facing glass bulbs between the tables, shaded by frosted crystal flowers, but they were switched off at current.

Sam was smiling as Valanoir returned, carrying two plates with a few of the vegetable rolls she mentioned earlier, and a small helping of cod steak drizzled with tomato sauce.

"Here, try a little. Helpings are bigger, but taste first," she said, placing the plates between the two sat at the table. Picking up one of the rolls Sam offered the other to Kratos, but he shook his head.

"Really?" the half elf mumbled in surprise, before taking a bite. "…Wow, you sure you don't want any?"

"I'm fine, thank you," came the curt reply, before he stood up with his bag in hand. "I'm going to take another look around the market."

"Uh, okay… I'll probably go back to Claude after this," Sam replied with a slightly awkward shrug. Kratos ignored it, and headed towards the door.

* * *

><p>He doubted he'd get much for what little money he had, but there was no harm in trying. His old armour was still up in Welgaia: with nothing to defend himself against he hadn't worn it for a while, but since his departure had been so sudden he hadn't had the chance to fetch it before returning to the planet. His clothes weren't in their best condition either: having already gone through a sparing match or two with the Eques without armour the holes in the pale fabric were increasing, and two of the belts on his left hip were broken. He would've preferred his usual outfit, but being in his Cruxis uniform at the time meant he was in it now, and the only way to change was to buy something different.<p>

But looking over the different stalls he knew he wouldn't be changing any time soon. The price of what was on display was more than he had, even for some of the simpler items that were around. Even durable clothes were hard to come by without a high fee, but he had to admit the places they came from were impressive: Iselia, Luin and Triet were close-by, but there were some offering armour from Sybak, Flanoir, and even Heimdall. The man stood behind the counter of the rune-scribed items of the far off forest was clearly of elven decent, but was cheerfully greeting anyone who came to him, an out of character trait if he'd been around three hundred years ago.

The stall alongside the elf's contrasted strongly: instead of the pale greens and deep purples of the Ymir Forest were stark reds, deep browns, and shimmering silvers, polished to perfection and glistening in the sunlight. Behind the display was a dwarf, twinkling eyes half hidden behind bushy black eyebrows and whiskers, but by the squint he was giving everyone he appeared to be smiling just as much as the elf to his right.

He seemed to be selling mostly clothes and armours, with one large hammer-type weapon on a wooden stand closer to the back of the table, and a few accessories in a glass case before him. The armour was more than Kratos could afford, but for now he could possibly get one of the shirts to cover the holes he had in his clothes at the moment. Admittedly there were more colours like green, blue, purple and yellow, but it was the red one that had drawn his eye to the stall in the first place. The dwarven process of making clothes didn't seem to have changed much over the years: studs ran along the seams along the arms and down one side of the chest, though they were smaller than they used to be. The trousers he was selling were much the same, more basic than the rest of his wares, but seemingly just as good.

"Six hundred gald, if you're interested," said the dwarf, eyeing up the rips in Kratos' outfit. But the mercenary was still looking at what was spread before him.

"I've heard dwarven wares are renowned for their resilience."

"This is the best, sir, second only to the work of Dwarf Irvine! Would you like to try one on?"

Picking up one made of thick, dark purple material highlighted with the silver studs Kratos looked it over with a shake of his head. His size hadn't changed for over four thousand years: anything close was good enough.

"Measurements?" he asked, and the numbers fed back to him were close enough.

"A set of pants will set you back another three hundred."

"How about eight hundred for both?" Kratos offered, picking up a pair of dark grey denim trousers and checking them over in the same way as the shirt.

But the dwarf's gaze had been drawn to the back of the auburn haired man's left hand.

"That there's dwarven work…" he mumbled, before narrowing his eyes. "You're not one of them Eques, are you?"

"No." Reaching into his bag he drew the gald he'd received from Sam and Claudia. "Do you see many of the soldiers with Exspheres equipped?" he asked, counting out nine hundred. The dwarf shook his head.

"Not many humans who know what they're called anymore either. Only dwarves call them by their real names these days, and normally only the Eques use them, asking crafters at Moria for Key Crests. Good pay, but no one likes to work for them," he explained, and when Kratos handed over the money he handed back two hundred. "Take them. You look like you need them."

* * *

><p>"<em>DAMN IT, C'MON<em>!" The yell wasn't hard to hear once he'd reached the outskirts. With his Cruxis uniform folded and tucked into his bag Kratos was now wearing the purple shirt and dark grey pants, still wearing his old navy shirt underneath as something between his skin and the thick material he was now dressed in. Sam was back outside as well, sitting in the shade of the tree again but away from the trunk, since Claudia was still aiming towards it. But other than the mark Kratos had done earlier there didn't seem to be much improvement.

Looking up when Kratos stood next to him, Sam looked him up and down.

"Nice threads." He barely hummed in reply, watching the redhead in disbelief as her shoulders heaved in exhaustion. But despite this she lifted her sword again, and aimed another swipe at the tree. When nothing happened, she groaned helplessly in defeat.

"Aw c'mon…!" she whined, her whole body slumping as the tip of her sword rested against the floor.

"Want something to eat?" the half elf asked, holding up a small wrapped lump that had been resting on his lap.

"_Not until I do this_!" she seethed in agitation, before gripping the hilt of her sword again with resolve. Glaring at the tree, she swung the sword around and extended the chain. "_Damn it! I said DEMON FANG_!"

Swinging the chain around in a wide arch the tip segment of the sword tore a chunk of earth up from the ground and sent it flying, leaving a deep scar in the grass. But her two spectators were focused on what fled from the end of the whip, trailing wearily along the ground for a moment or two before vanishing when it bumped against the roots of the tree.

"Claude you did it!" Staring at where the little white fang had vanished the young woman looked dumbfounded, before smiling triumphantly at Sam's exclamation. Throwing her hands in the air she cheered, before falling back onto the grass like a rag doll with a loud thud. "Claudia!" Sam was soon at her side, and ran a hand over his face when he found her giggling merrily to herself.

"We should take her back to the inn. She's been out here for a few hours trying to do that," said Kratos, helping Sam lift Claudia off the ground. With an arm each around their shoulders they started back towards the inn: was it that difficult to use artes without an Exsphere by now?

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><p>YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE PAIN I'M GOING THROUGH WRITING DOWN PANTS LIKE THIS! Pants are supposed to be undergarments! The thought of Kratos strutting around in his underwear just makes me head desk.<p> 


	8. Bonfire

Almost forgot to put this one up! Ah, busy day.

Sorry if there're any mistakes in it again. My beta really doesn't seem to want to read any of these at the moment, which is disappointing.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Bonfire<strong>

"Are you sure you're okay to get up?"

"Yeah… How long was I-"

"About an hour, in and out. Just proves you're an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot. I just wanted to do that Fang thing…"

The afternoon had crawled on during their visit to the inn, during which Claudia had been dozing on her bed under Sam's watchful eye. As with Kratos back in Luin he fetched a small plate of fruit and a glass of water to put on her bedside table, and waited patiently at her side until she stirred, rummaging through and arranging his bag in the meantime. After fetching a pair of boots from downstairs (the inn keeper's wife had commented on his 'odd' footwear earlier and offered him something a little more suitable) Kratos returned to hear the conversation the two friends were having, and knocked before stepping inside.

Claudia was now sitting up and gulping down the glass of water, but seemed no worse for wear after her time in the sun other than a little colour to her face and exposed collarbone.

"How are you feeling?" he asked regardless, earning a thumbs up from the redhead as she finished off the water.

"Yeah, well… you call me an idiot when I do something like that," Sam grumbled with his arms crossed, looking annoyed. Picking up the apple Claudia ruffled his hair with her free hand.

"That's because with you, it's dangerous," she said, before swinging her feet over the side of the bed and standing up. "See? I'm fine."

"So… now what do we do?"

* * *

><p>"I've never used a weapon like this before, so pardon my unfamiliarity with it." They were back outside next to the tree, with Sam now climbing up amongst the branches to entertain himself as Kratos and Claudia discussed at the bottom. Wielding the short sword in hand the mercenary gave it a swipe, while Claudia ran a hand through her hair with an awkward smile.<p>

"It's no problem. I'm not that good with it either…" she mumbled, embarrassed. She stepped back when he extended the whip. "It jams sometimes when you extend it. Other than that, it's fine."

"Hm…" With another flick of his wrist it returned to its full state, at which point he handed it back. "You haven't had any real training with it then?"

"Only what my uncle taught me. We normally just run from monsters back home, and the only time I've started a fight with the Eques was yesterday," she answered, sliding it back into the scarf-wrapped scabbard she had attached to her hip.

"Plus I'm a decent shot," added Sam, hidden somewhere up in the branches as a few twigs littered his holsters amongst the roots.

"What about you? Where'd you learn to fight like that?" There was a curiosity in the girl's voice that hadn't been aimed towards him yet, and her question had intrigued the half elf enough to draw him down from the branches again. He landed a short distance away on all fours, his fingers brushing the grass to support him before he stood up again, grabbing his firearms in the process.

"Only soldiers fight that good," he said, tying the belt around his hips.

"I'm not a soldier: I've travelled more than most, and that gives you plenty of experience," Kratos answered, but both teenagers still looked sceptical. "If I were one of the Eques, why would they attack me? Wouldn't I have ID?"

They cast each other a questioning glance, still a little uncertain.

"I guess so…" Sam mumbled.

"Deserter, maybe? Do people actually run out of the Eques…?"

"I'm not one of them. I thought that was clear by now," he almost huffed, crossing his arms and watching both sternly. Hanging their heads they mumbled an apology, but soon enough Sam brought a hand to his chin in thought once again.

"Maybe they kicked him out…" Kratos ran a hand despairingly down his face as Claudia sniggered.

* * *

><p>"No way! It's not going to rain, is it?" Clouds had started coming in off the ocean as evening drew closer, but despite the looming gloom the civilians of Izoold were happily getting ready for the night market. An enormous stack of firewood had been gathered down on the sandy shore and had already drawn a large crowd, eager to see the bonfire illuminate the waves later. The stalls were still being set up as well, a few food carts added to the mixture and going around, pandering to customer needs.<p>

Claudia was the one staring despondently at the clouds, the night coming faster as the light of the sunset was blocked by oncoming rain. Or at least oncoming misery, judging by the dark clouds. Dragging the redhead out of the inn by the arm Sam was more than happy to explore again.

"C'mon, I bet there's loads of stuff around now!"

"Geez, I feel like a babysitter again…!"

As the girl from the inn had told them most of the merchants had brought out the last of their stock for tonight, calling anyone and everyone over with 'huge price reductions' and 'enormous bargains', though there were some people missing. The dwarf who had sold Kratos his new clothes was gone, and the middle aged woman with the wooden carvings he'd seen earlier had moved to his old stall, next to the elf. They were conversing amiably over a mug of coffee, the one in the woman's hands one of her own wares and carved with small flowers.

It wasn't long before the bonfire was lit, bringing more and more people to the streets to peruse any new things on sale, accompanied by a band near the beach. Perched on a small wooden bandstand they played with high spirits, and it was down to the music that Sam and Claudia were drawn.

"Man, I haven't heard live music in ages! It feels like it's been years!" exclaimed Sam, bouncing up and down slightly with the cheerful tune.

"I know, right? They don't do things like this in Flanoir anymore!" One song ended and another began, separated by a short round of clapping by anyone watching and listening.

"Got any plans tonight?" Sam asked Kratos, who had been looking over a nearby stall with interest. Charms and bracelets were lined up neatly with small price tags, each one bold with the change in price. When he shook his head he had no chance to continue, as Sam pointed to the bonfire with a wide sweep of his arm, almost knocking Claudia out in the process. "Come sit with us at the beach! We're going down to meet Vala!"

"Uh…"

"You mean you're going down to meet her," added Claudia, smirking mischievously and prodding him in the arm. "Didn't you think that maybe he was actually going to do something else?"

"I was just offering…"

"I might join you later," the mercenary spoke over them as they started bickering again, and as they bid their farewell he headed back up the line of stalls.

Not much had changed since that morning. If anything, there was less available now at a slightly lower price: this only reaffirmed the common fact that everything was cheaper when bought from the actual store, unless prices had really inflated that much in three hundred years. These numbers still seemed a little steep, and he had much less gald than he probably needed for his travels. How was he supposed to get any more money?

He headed down for the bonfire sooner than he'd planned. There wasn't much point wandering around a market if he had nothing to do there, and he'd already looked around enough. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of soldiers wandering around, and decided that he would head back to the inn soon.

With the proximity of the band to the beach and the bonfire it wasn't surprising to see people already up and dancing. Most were children and young teenagers, but more and more were joining as the youngsters were called away by their parents for bed. Amongst them were a few of the stall owners enjoying a short break, and with the ringing of small bells and bracelets Valanoir was easy to spot, hands clasped with Sam's as they made their was around the circle with the others dancing.

Sitting on the sand in front of one of the benches Kratos caught sight of Claudia, who was watching the sky as her head leant back on the seat. On her lap was her small travel bag, mostly empty save for a green pencil case, a bottle of water, her purse, and a smaller bag holding what she'd bought earlier in the market. When he climbed over the bench and sat beside her she lifted her head, muttering a dismal greeting to him as she looked through her mostly empty bag again.

"What's wrong?" he asked: he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd lost something. These two seemed to have a knack for it already.

"My notebook is definitely back in my bag. I don't even have a little one in here…" she grumbled, flipping the cover back over and latching the belts. Pulling out the one he had in his own bag Kratos handed it to her, much to her surprise.

"It's weight I don't need, since I'm not using it."

"Fantastic…!" she gasped, flicking through the pages with the smallest of smiles until she came to a small amount of scrawl at the front. "Oh, it's Tabby's. Well, I don't think she'll miss it…"

"Why aren't you joining in?" he asked instead, gesturing to the fire as she drew a pen, but she scoffed at his question.

"I don't dance."

"Really?"

"Obviously."

"Claudia!"

Kratos had already spotted Sam heading across from the fire when Claudia said this, and watched the half elf hold his hands out towards his friend with an enormous grin. His cheeks were flushed and he was a little out of breath.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, and unlike the gruff reply she gave Kratos she smiled apologetically.

"Nah, I'm good here."

"C'mon you killjoy!"

"It's fun, yeah?" Valanoir was soon at Sam's side, looking much better than Sam after their time around the fire. She was smiling enthusiastically as the navy haired boy tried tugging the notebook from Claudia's grasp, before holding a hand out to Kratos. "You wanna try too?" He shook his head: this seemed to be enough for the half demon, but Sam was much more persistent with Claudia.

"You're so boring…!" he whined, his hands on her book but not actively tugging anymore, and kept her from putting pen to paper. "C'mon: please?" He was pouting now as well, and with a sceptical look over her glasses Claudia quirked an eyebrow.

"What am I: your mother?"

Despite her grumbling she was soon on her feet, a hand each taken by Sam and Valanoir once her book was safely tucked away in her bag, which was handed to Kratos for safekeeping. They dragged her towards the fire.

"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted from behind Kratos, and when he turned around he found the woman from the wooden crafts stand walking towards him. She was still a fair distance away, but there was no one else around: was she talking to him? She was definitely looking at him, her long hair tied in a plait that hung down over her shoulder and coloured red or pink. She was wrapped up in an elven cloak, pinned at the shoulder with a blue gem mounted on a simple white crest, and wearing a pair of grey and white boots adorned with silver buckles.

Before she could say anything else a group of soldiers stormed onto the beach. They tore through the benches with vicious kicks as if they were simply stomping through grass, and in an instant the people dancing scattered. The band stopped, leaving only frightened gasps and furious yelling in place of the music.

"Everyone return to your homes, by order of the Eques Scientiae!" Sam and Claudia were already rushing back to Kratos, the younger of the two pulling up the hood of his waistcoat as the guards started herding people off the beach. The bonfire was already being put out, letting the darkness of the ocean sweep swiftly across the sand towards them.

"Get to the inn," he told them, handing Claudia her bag, and as they headed past him he looked around once again for the woman in the elven cloak. But she'd vanished.

"Hurry up! They might start checking for ID!" Claudia hissed, having come back to grab him by the arm, and after fighting their way through panicking crowds they were headed up to their rooms in the inn.

-:x:-

Collapsing onto his bed Sam whined hopelessly, hiding his head beneath his arms.

"What the hell are they doing here...?"

"We weren't really supposed to be here tonight..." Claudia muttered, chancing a glance through the window. A group were heading past now, though a man in blue and silver armour stood out the most as he brought up the rear.

"D'you... think they'll search the buildings?" Sam mumbled quietly, looking up at Claudia with a frown. He still had his hood pulled up, and was holding the edges tenatively.

"Probably..." Closing his eyes, he let his head hang.

"Damn it...!"

Pulling the curtains shut Claudia switched on the lamp on the table between the beds, before crossing her arms as she paced the threadbare carpet.

"Where can we go...? Someone's going to be here with the tickets, and we need them to get back..." she mumbled, holding her thumb to her lips as she thought.

"What about Iselia?"

As if lightning had struck both were focused on Kratos barely a split second after he'd said this.

"We could... It'd only take about a day to walk there..." mused Sam, but Claudia shook her head.

"No, we'd have to go through the Ossa Pass again." He was about to hide his face in the blanket again when Kratos took out his map, and once it was spread on the empty bed the man in purple was looking over it closely.

"...There's a road north west of here. It's longer, but it eventually leads around the mountains to Iselia," he explained, tracing a line with his finger for Claudia, who was leant over the opposite side, to make out.

"There's only fields and moorlands out there, and loads of monsters. It's too dangerous," she argued, arms still crossed as she shook her head.

"Would you rather stay here?" When propositioned with this, she grimaced slightly before looking at Sam, who was once again looking hopelessly at her. "I'm headed to Iselia, so I'll be going with you anyway."

"That means we have to go now, doesn't it...?" she grumbled, her shoulders slumping further and further in disappointment, and when Kratos nodded she groaned. "Great, another night with no dinner, no bath, and no bed."

"I'm sorry, Claude..."

The quiet mumble from the boy on the bed drew her to her friend, who moved to sit up at the side of the bed instead. His head was bowed, and with her brow furrowed Claudia knelt beside him, a comforting hand on his knee.

"Don't say that-"

"But it's my fault! If it wasn't for this...!" He grabbed his bandaged arm with a growl. "...they wouldn't be after us! I'm sorry Claudia...!"

"It's not your fault," she replied sternly, leaning closer and giving his knee a squeeze. "You're done nothing wrong, so don't apologise. You can't help what's happening to your arm."

"But-" he was about to start again, but she shook her head.

"And don't start talking about Triet either! You were saving that kid!" Standing up, she brought an arm around his shoulders. "It'll all be over once we get home. Heck, in a few days, they'll probably forget all about you."

"We should get going. If we keep walking, we should be able to make it to the forest at the base of the nearest mountains in an hour or so," said Kratos, folding the map and tucking it back into his bag. Both young adults nodded and gathered what few possessions they had around the room before heading to the door, switching the light off again.

The floors creaked under the amount of people walking back and forth from their rooms, some frightened by the Eques' presence, others annoyed, and almost every one using the hall as a congregation point to discuss what was happening outside. Some children had even taken the chance to get out of bed again, and were weaving between the legs of the crowd. Almost twice Claudia stumbled, glaring at a giggling ball of energy dashing off into another room as she did her best to follow Kratos, who was making his way to the stairs without any trouble. With Sam in tow, they were in the foyer within minutes, where Mr and Mrs Dewight were trying their best to calm their guests and see to their needs, their daughter nowhere in sight.

"Hey, shouldn't we try and get our money back on the rooms?" Claudia asked as the man in purple guided them towards the front door, but her question was answered with Sam shoving her out into the night.

The streets were deserted except for the soldiers storming up and down the alleys, tearing apart dustbins and rooting through old boxes as they pasted posters of the missing escapee on every surface they could find. Some were even barging into houses and closed shops, ignoring the angry yells from the owners as they smashed through the shelves of merchandise.

The bandstand had been taken over as well: four soldiers in dark silver armour were stood with the man in blue and silver that had walked past the inn earlier. From up on his pedestal he looked around the immediate vicinity, arms folded as he watched the stalls being torn down. He hadn't removed his helmet, the vaguely draconic shape hiding his face and hair completely and keeping him anonymous to the crowds he was threatening, other than the name 'General Eli'. The lower foot-soldiers ran back and forth with updates, much like they had to the Captain in Triet, but even then they spoke to the four guards accompanying.

"Wait!" Nearing the outskirts of town the small group of three were ready to set off across the grasslands when a voice called to them, accompanied by the now familiar ringing of bracelets. Wrapped up in a cloak with a small bag slung over her shoulder Valanoir was running towards them, silhouetted by the dim lights of Izoold behind her.

"W-what are you doing? Shouldn't you be staying in town?" Sam asked, surprised that she was even following them. A little short of breath she fixed the half elf with a harsh gaze, hands resting domineeringly on her hips.

"Why are you all leaving? It's dangerous out here at night, yeah?" she scolded them, before casting a glance over her shoulder when there was a yell within the town. "It's not safe to speak here… Where you going, anyway?"

"North west. We can't use the Ossa Pass," Kratos answered before either Sam or Claudia could. There was no need for the girl to know everything.

"Ah, Iselia! Or Colwyn, maybe." Pressing a thoughtful finger to her lips, she frowned. "Dangerous up north, though. Lots of monsters."

"Please don't say that…" groaned Claudia, hanging her head. Giggling softly the half demon snapped her fingers.

"You need a guide?"

"You're headed for Iselia?" the half elf asked, his voice almost hopeful, and when she shook her head he drooped visibly.

"No, but it's on the way. Mama told me to go Colwyn-way, to avoid guards for a few days."

This cheered Sam up in mere moments, but Kratos was curious about her destination.

"Where is it?"

"North of Iselia, yeah? Past old temple, in a cove at the end of the coast. Very pretty," she smiled, gesturing upwards and making her bracelets jingle again. "Catch a boat back in a few days, when the guards are gone."

"It's a port?"

"Yeah. No guards. Don't know 'bout it."

"Does the boat go to Flanoir?" A little confused by his question, she nodded all the same with her puzzled smile.

"Round trip: Colwyn, Flanoir, Izoold. Cheap too."


	9. Drops of Red

Right, so, I plan to be hungover this Sunday, so I thought I'd update a little earlier. Especially since I didn't put anything up on Christmas day, but everyone should've been enjoying food and presents to care on that day. Anyway, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Drops of Red<strong>

Great crimson rivers ran down Claudia's neck, mixing effortlessly with the rain beating down on them with a harshness only nature could provide. It stained her clothes, running down her exposed collarbone and upper back, contrasting clearly with the top of her yellow vest top. She did her best to wipe it away with the back of her arm, chest heaving as they trudged through pools of mud, her sword at her side as she kept a constant lookout behind them for any more beasts that dared venture too close to their small group. Sam was close by, his hood pulled up but not doing particularly well against the weather, and he was looking guiltily at his friend.

"I'm really sorry Claude! I swear...!"

"If you're not careful, I'm going to smack you one," she grumbled, wiping her dripping hair out of her face, which was also red with dye.

"Do you want my jacket-"

"No I do not want your jacket!" He flinched and recoiled at her snapping tone, which made her sigh and place an apologetic hand against his arm. "I'm already soaked. There's no point ruining your waistcoat now."

They'd been walking for almost two hours, and the trees were near. If the heavens hadn't split, they would've arrived sooner, and without the occasional pack of wolves or vicious birds they would've taken even less time, but so was life. There was no guarantee that they'd be able to rest once they arrived at the wood either: the ground would be soaked and there were probably more monsters considering the lack of civilization out here. But the three teenagers were already exhausted hauling what they had through the pouring shower, struggling against the sucking mud and the sideways rain.

Holding up an arm to shield his eyes from the downpour Kratos was leading, making sure all three were still following close behind. It was at times like these his angelic senses were incredibly useful, giving him the upper hand at seeing through the haze of the rain, the dark beneath the cloudy sky. Only a step or two behind him were Sam and Valanoir, the rose-haired young woman arm in arm with the half elf as he stumbled through the grass and did her best at keeping him on his feet, whilst Claudia brought up the rear with her weapon drawn. Since the first wolf attack she'd been reluctant to sheath her weapon.

But the forest was dense, much to their relief. Wet patches were at a minimum even in the heavy rain, only a slight drizzle reaching them through the thickly woven branches, and the moment they were beneath the canopy the youngest three collapsed with relief. Dropping their possessions they sat against the trunks of the trees with their caked legs sprawled before them, doing their best to catch their breath. Kratos was still on his feet, looking around the dark woods with caution.

"Can we just sleep here...?" Claudia asked helplessly, with Valanoir leaning heavily against her shoulder. It wasn't the best idea, but being stranded in the dark and the rain like this they didn't have much of a choice in locations to rest, especially considering Kratos' lack of knowledge of the new landscape. Placing his bag amongst theirs by the tree he was eventually sat down as well, his gaze out on the field. Hidden somewhere in the distance was Izoold, its denizens now most likely dealing with the mess the Eques had left during their search for the missing prisoner. The parallels between these soldiers and the Desians were worrying, but so far there didn't seem to be any sign of pointless executions and ransacking for new captives. They seemed to be trying to uphold the law, but they had such a fierce stranglehold on the region that anyone still seemed applicable for arrest.

Looking once again at the three in his company he found both young women already fast asleep, leant against each other and the tree and curled up against the cold. Despite the humidity they would be shivering in no time, but so long as they slept for now they would probably be alright.

Sitting as close as possible against Claudia's other side Sam had drawn his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, keeping a worried eye on the darkness that loomed behind them. Compared to his laid-back and carefree attitude from the past few days this was a stark contrast: the dark rings beneath his eyes were obvious against his pale skin, which had lost what little colour it had from two almost sleepless nights, and the exhaustion was clear in his voice as he heaved a weary sigh. Rubbing his arms he shuddered, still dripping wet from the rain just like the rest of them.

"Are you alright?" He jumped when Kratos spoke, and sighed softly as he shook his head.

"I'll be fine..."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" Running a hand through his hair his gaze was eventually downcast, his arms hugging his knees again.

"A little... I have been since we moved to Flanoir. Since before then, actually..."

"You weren't born there?" He shook his head softly.

"No, I'm from Sybak, but something happened and we moved to Flanoir. I wasn't very old at the time."

"Was it something to do with the Eques?"

"Probably. I don't remember."

Another quiet sigh escaped the young half elf as he leant back against the tree, bringing a hand to his bandaged arm and beginning to play with the knot.

"I gotta start picking my fights better..." he mumbled, before reaching for his bag instead and rummaging through it. "I hate soldiers..."

"Hm..."

"Oh, uh, thanks by the way." When Sam said this Kratos looked blankly at him, only to find him smiling sheepishly. "You saved us in Triet. If you weren't there, I'd be locked up for sure. I just realised we hadn't thanked you." He jabbed a thumb at Claudia, who was still sleeping soundly despite the pinky-red droplets running down her cheeks. "Not that she'd say anything. Too stuck up to say it. Weirdo."

Drawing his knife from the cuff of his boot he cut the knot of the dirty bandage and started unwrapping it, wincing softly as he peeled it from his greying flesh, and once the last piece had fallen to the floor the relief on his face was obvious. Balling up the old cloth he cast another wary look around the forest- the wind had picked up and was causing the branches to sway- before pressing the new roll against his palm.

A little awkward, he did his best to wrap it tidily around his hand without trapping his thumb, and managed to get the whole of the grey area covered after a little difficulty. When he realised that he needed help to tie the knot at the end he looked at Claudia, who was just as asleep as she'd been five minutes ago, before looking at pityingly at Kratos. When the swordsman gestured for him to come closer he did so willingly, extending his arm with a grateful smile. The work he'd already done was untidy around his hand, threatening to come loose with even the slightest of glances, so without a word Kratos re-wrapped the whole of his arm before tying the knot at the end. Admiring his work afterwards Sam thanked him with a smile.

"You haven't really slept properly for a while either. I can keep watch for now," the boy offered, pulling out his pocket watch and squinting at the face. "I'll wake Claudia up in... three hours, or something. I don't think I could sleep right now anyway." With nothing more than a nod Kratos was soon leant against the tree again, but despite closing his eyes he knew he wouldn't sleep either. He was much too accustomed to staying awake for days on end; if anything, he was surprised the two teens hadn't noticed sooner.

* * *

><p>Eh, I didn't know what to write with this one. It was supposed to be amazing character development, but it kinda flopped halfway through. Supposed to show something or other. I think it just shows that I can't write for toffee at the moment. Ah bum baskets.<p> 


	10. Pleasantries

I'm really sorry for the delay! Inspiration struck and couldn't wait 'til November, so I was writing something else for a little bit. I was already halfway through this chapter, so I finished it and checked over it, and I think it's ready to go up. I need a new beta reader like wow, because my sister does have other things on her plate, and I can't keep pestering her to read these every week/other week.

Again, sorry for delay!

* * *

><p>Of the five tables situated in the room only two were still available, but the smaller of the two was dotted with mugs and plates and left it pretty much unusable. Picking up a tray and cloth the lady behind the bar sighed at the mess laid out before her: you just couldn't get the staff these days. The three girls she'd hired always left her plenty to do after rushes, but she knew that without them she'd never make it through the breakfast, lunch and dinner rushes. If only they'd clean the tables before they left for their breaks...!<p>

"Good morning Sophie!" She looked up towards the stairs as someone made their way down into the main room, and rested her hands on her hips as she watched a dark haired young man approach her. Putting the tray back on the counter top she shook her head at his positive attitude, heading behind the bar again and grabbing a glass from one of the shelves underneath and handing it to him.

"Whenever you're back here there's always a noise about you!" she tutted, making him grin as he sat down at the bar.

"I know you miss me when I'm gone."

"Only until you come back and make a mess of the place again," she replied in a huff, placing a jug of water before him as well. "So, are you here because of the escapee too, Greyson? Or was this just a 'happy' coincidence?"

Pouring himself a glass of water he gave the dark haired Sophie a curious look, eyebrow arched as he raised the glass to his lips.

"Escapee? I'm here on vacation." With a knowing nod she picked up the tray and cloth again, holding it to her chest as she crossed her arms with a thoughtful hum.

"My sister called from Izoold. Apparently they're looking for someone after this huge fuss in Triet. There's a prisoner from the desert, and a half elf travelling with two redheads," she explained, walking back around the bar to clear the tables. The young man looked intrigued, and took a gulp of water.

"Why're they after a half elf?"

"Apparently he shot a guard. Captain of the desert troops."

"Ah, that blonde bastard deserves it..."

When the little black bell above the door chimed Sophie turned to greet her latest customer, and smiled warmly at the young woman who'd just entered, looking cold and damp despite the clear morning after the storm last night. Shrugging off a muddy jacket she made her way to the bar, and collapsed onto a stool with a heavy sigh. The man looked her up and down as he placed his glass back on the counter, leaning against it with his feet resting on the lower bar of his stool, looking like a perched bird.

"Well you look like you've been through hell and back!" he chuckled, and the woman scoffed, running her hands through her dark, greasy locks and grumbling at the knots. "Where're you from? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Oh, we're just passing through. Waiting for the boat," she replied, dusting mud from her striped tights.

Dishes clattered when Sophie returned to the bar, drawing the attention of both seated as she lifted a second glass from beneath the counter.

"Did you walk through the storm last night or something? You look like you could use a bath," she said, and with a helpless moan the new arrival slumped across the wooden table top.

"I think I'm going to die...! Please say you have a room!" she whined, her eyes wide and pleading as she looked up at Sophie. The dark haired woman was already smiling back in amusement, one hand resting on her hip as she leant casually against the bar.

"For how many?"

"Four of us. Well, I just want a bath: when does the boat for Flanoir come in?"

Sophie and the Greyson lad exchanged glances, with the young man eventually drawing a silver pocket watch into view.

"They usually make port at about midday-"

"So it'll be here in an hour?" The girl sounded worried at the realisation, but the young man lifted his hand to stay her when she stood up.

"An hour and a half, but even then it doesn't leave until about two. They need fuel and stuff, and it takes a while to move luggage and cargo." She sat back down with a sigh, her shoulders relaxing a little as she let her hands rest against the table top.

"Okay... okay, that's alright."

Amused by her behaviour the young man watched as she slumped slowly back into her seat, and gestured to Sophie for more water.

"So where're you from? You really look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards." This earned him a sarcastic smirk as the girl removed her gloves, her hands clean and clear underneath.

"Such a charming thing to hear after two nights with no bath and no sleep. You're making me feel extra special today... whoever you are," she huffed in reply, tying her limp locks back with one of the leather bracelets from around her wrist. Pouring her a glass of water he placed it before her with the same amused smile still pulling at the corner of his lips. Sophie left the bar, rolling her eyes as she took the bowls and mugs to the kitchen.

"Lloyd Greyson," he said, extending a hand in greeting. Smiling back tiredly she took it and shook it.

"Claudia Morgans."

"I must say I don't see that many new people around here. People usually just stay on the boat- if they're here to get on they just arrive and go straight," he explained with his own glass in hand again, before gesturing over his shoulder to some of the people who were sat at the table behind them. "These guys are usually here anyway, so they don't count."

Claudia looked around them a little awkwardly: now they were all looking at them, and with a sheepish smile she turned back to her water.

"Yeah, well... we normally catch the boat in Izoold. This was actually kinda impromptu..."

"Going for Flanoir then?"

"Of course."

"Heading back or visiting?"

"Ah, heading home. This trip took a little longer than planned..."

When he lifted his glass she gave him a bemused look, but he gestured for her to do the same.

"I hope you have a pleasant trip back, then," he chuckled softly, earning another smile from the girl. When their glasses met with a gentle ring the door behind them opened again.

"Thanks-"

"Claude, what're you doing? I thought you were finding us a room!" Downing what was left of her water she turned to the blustering storm that was Sam in a bad mood, and hopped off the chair with a sigh.

"I did find us a room, but we won't need it for the night. Boat's not leaving 'till about two, so I'm having a bath."

As the now irritated and still mud-caked young woman walked by him Sam, who was just as equally irritated and just as muddy, crossed his arms and looked back towards the door. Claudia headed to the kitchen and stuck her head inside, and was soon heard talking amiably to Sophie as her half elf friend stood awkwardly by the bar. When he noticed Lloyd peering at him he crossed his arms a little tighter.

"W-what...?" he huffed, but before the man could reply the door opened again, and in stepped Valanoir and Kratos, the young half demon carrying a paper bag in her arms and beaming pleasantly despite the layer of brown across her skin and clothes.

"You found a room, yeah?" she asked, joining Sam at the bar. Claudia soon returned with a key clenched in her hand, and looked around the small brown group.

"Wow, we really need a wash... Come on, the landlady said we can wash our clothes really quickly too."

"Great! Didn't bring nice spares with me...!"

"Do we even have time to wash our clothes...?"

They headed for the stairs, but as Kratos passed by the man at the bar he caught him staring curiously at him. Lloyd turned in his seat to face him properly, and brought a thoughtful hand to his chin.

"Do I know you?" he asked, but the auburn haired man shook his head. "Hm... Must be someone else. Sorry to bother you." Kratos followed the three teens up the stairs, watching as they headed for the third door down, but as they headed inside he heard a female voice from below.

"Isn't that a 'half elf travelling with two redheads'?" The woman's voice was low: clearly this wasn't a conversation she wanted the other patrons of the bar to hear.

"Yeah, but I'm on vacation. If any soldiers turn up, it's not my fault."

* * *

><p>"Oh sweet Martel, that's disgusting...!" Having dumped most of their possessions in an untidy mountain only a little inside the door the three young adults were taking off their shoes: Sam kicked his off at the end of a bed, whilst Claudia and Valanoir were sat on the floor to remove theirs a little more carefully. The eldest of the three was the one to mutter this, grimacing as she pulled off one of her boots to reveal mud stained socks wrapped around her feet. Peeling that off as well, she recoiled in horror. "I'll never be clean again..."<p>

"Never ever, methinks..." Valanoir sighed, chipping off mud that caked her sandals to her feet. Pulling his shirt and waistcoat off in one go Sam soon had his hands to his belt buckle, and once his trousers were off as well he was left in just a blue vest and shorts. Only his arms were smeared with mud, and his hair just looked more unruly than usual. But he quickly pinched his nose.

"We stink."

"Well duh: we haven't washed in days," retorted the once-red headed girl still sat on the floor, kicking her boots away from herself. "Sorry, but I think I get the first bath."

"What are we supposed to do? Just stand around out here waiting until you finish?" the half elf shot back, and with no other comment Claudia disappeared into the bathroom. "W-wait! You take _forever_!"

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><p>The dark haired man was still at the bar when Valanoir and Kratos headed back downstairs, and greeted them with a polite nod of his head as Sophie approached them.<p>

"How can I help?"

"Ah, do you have more baths? My friend takes time, which we don't have, yeah?"

"More baths? Well, you could use the ones in the empty rooms for now..." Once again the landlady disappeared into the kitchen, this time with Valanoir in tow, leaving Kratos with the man at the counter. He looked up at Kratos with the same cuious gaze as he had before, his arms crossed in thought.

"I could've sworn I'd seen you around before. You don't own a boat, do you?"

"No."

"Hm..."

"Here Kratos; lady said you could use room three!" Valanoir returned swiftly, holding out a thick brass key to the mercenary. "We can eat afterwards. First, we clean!" She trotted away back up the stairs, her long pigtails swinging behind her, followed at first only by the gaze of the man at the bar. Without a word Kratos started after her, but the man held up a hand to halt him.

"Oh, but you're taking the boat right?" he asked, and though Kratos didn't acknowledge this he continued. "Be careful: people are talking about trouble on the routes recently. Rebels against the Eques have been targeting ships on the short trips. Just thought I'd warn you: Miss Claudia looked pretty eager to get home to Flanoir."

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><p>"So they're looking for escapees, yeah?" Running a comb through her long pink locks Valanoir was sat cross-legged on one of the two beds in their room, watching Sam as he wrapped a fresh bandage around his arm. He was sitting at the small table in the corner of the room with Kratos, who was once again looking over his map.<p>

The boat route went from Colwyn, the town they were currently in, around to Flanoir, then Izoold. The small spit of land they were on stretched around the cliffs along the old Martel Temple, near Iselia. Judging by their position from Iselia itself, the old temple, and what he could recall was the position of the old Human Ranch... He hated maps, especially when the landscape changed.

"Yeah. A group escaped from the desert prison, so the Eques tore Triet apart before coming to Izoold," the half elf explained, extending his arm to the auburn haired man with a pin clasped between his index finger and thumb, and Kratos fixed the bandage in place for him without looking.

"Ooh..." she hummed with intrigue, her fingers following the little green comb on their journey through her hair. Claudia was sat with her on the bed with another comb in hand, helping as best she could to sort out the waves of rose pink hair, her own mop already arranged as she wanted. Only vague traces of the dye remained, giving her dark brown hair a vaguely orange tint in the light. "They after you as well?"

The hands through her hair halted, and she looked quizzically from Sam to Claudia as they cast each other an awkward glance. Drawn back to the conversation by the sudden silence Kratos turned his attention back to the three teenagers, and found all eyes were on him.

"What?"

"I don't know: they stopped talking," Valanoir pointed out to him with a shrug, beginning to arrange her hair into a plait. Shaking his head, he went back to the map.

"Uh..." mumbled Sam, drumming his fingers against the table once or twice, whilst Claudia had started twiddling her thumbs.

"Not really..." said the eldest of the three, casting another glance towards the man at the table, before Sam shook his head with a sheepish smile.

"We just got a little mixed up with them! When we get back to Flanoir, it'll be fine!" Valanoir nodded with a grin.

"So they are after you!" Sam ran a hand despairingly down his face at her reply, which was just a little too enthusiastic for his liking. "What happened? You don't look like criminals!"

"We're not criminals!" the half elf squeaked back.

"Why are you avoiding the Eques?"

Looking instead at Kratos when he asked this Valanoir hummed dejectedly, her smile turning sad but remaining on her features.

"Ah, mama- my real mama- was Gorgon," she explained, and Sam nodded knowingly.

"I noticed you were... well..."

"You're part demon?" the man with the map enquired, and she nodded as she tied the end of her plait.

"You can't tell?" said Claudia, to which Kratos nodded.

"I knew there was ancestry in you, but I didn't realise you were a direct descendant. But why avoid the soldiers because of that?"

"Ah... they're a little..." Sam seemed a little awkward about explaining, leaning against the table and running a hand through his damp hair. "...Well, half elves get it bad anyway, but half demons get a lot more flak..."

"Why?"

All three exchanged bemused looks, Sam and Claudia a little more unsure and only managing vague shrugs, but Valanoir squared Kratos with a solemn look. All trace of her usual positivity was gone, her features grave.

"Soldiers think demons are lesser species. Dangerous beings; belong in dungeons; no rights, even if they speak and think." Her gaze downcast, she played with the bells of her anklet like a scolded child. "My mama..." Neither of the other two teens could bring themselves to look at her, and Kratos watched as she shook her head and rose to her feet. Forcing a smile, she bowed her head apologetically. "Ah, _ymddiheiriad_- Sorry! Don't mean to be sad."

She walked past them and went to the door.

"Where-" Sam started, and as he started to stand up she waved a dismissive hand at him, still smiling almost awkwardly.

"_Na, na_! Only going for walk! Clear my head, yeah?" and before either he or Claudia could say another word the door had clicked shut behind her. They cast each other guilty glances, the older of the two sighing as she ran her hands across her face, before Sam looked around for a pair of shoes.

"Damn it..." Having gone barefoot Valanoir could leave right away, but Sophie had taken their shoes as well as all their clothes to wash: what they were wearing now were things she had to spare. None the less Sam was soon going to the door as well, leaving it to swing shut behind him as he headed down the hall, and not long afterwards Claudia followed.

The door was left open, swaying ever so slightly in the breeze coming from the hallway, and with a soft shake of his head Kratos folded his map and stood up. If the man from the bar was connected to the Eques it was probably best to keep an eye on them, in case they wandered into trouble.


	11. Quiet Clearing

Finally uploaded the next chapter. Again, this one isn't so long, but that's more to do with the fact that this was meant to be a more stand-alone moment anyway. There's still no combat though, which I'm annoyed about, but there's some coming- I swear!

Well, enjoy regardless!

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><p>Colwyn was very much how he remembered Izoold: a small port with few buildings, focusing mainly on fishing than anything else. There were three docks, two small wooden ones for local fishing boats, and a larger one built from stone where a boat was currently docked and unloading. Luggage was being piled up next to the gangplank letting travellers down onto the dock, what few people there were for this small port gathering their possessions and quickly dispersing, whilst others stayed nearby on a small group of benches until departure.<p>

But despite all the commotion by the boat the village itself was very quiet, almost sleepy, with the gentle lapping of waves audible from anywhere within its boundaries. Wrapped closely by forest it was well secluded, rocky hills to the east hiding Iselia from sight, and the vast ocean between them and the northern continent surrounded the rest of the small spit of land. As he made his way along the well-walked paths of Colwyn Kratos was wary of the curious looks he was getting, but wasn't bothered by it: the residents didn't seem to get many visitors beyond the port, and a few inquisitive glances were only natural if a stranger was walking down the street.

He was headed south towards the forest. The further through Colwyn he went, the sparcer the houses became, until only one or two stone buildings were left near the border of the woods. Small fields had been fenced off and were occupied by sheep and a few cows, but beyond that there were only trees. It wasn't a dense forest by any means, the light filtering through the branches enough to make out an old trail between the trunks and giving it a much more pleasant and welcoming air than the last one he'd visited. Jumping the fences he made his way down the old pathway- it was a little overgrown, but seemed to still be in use, a smattering of different footprints visible in the few patches of dirt between the young grass.

Making his way wasn't difficult, as the path went on for a while, but he was doubtful it would lead him to where he was heading for. That path had always been from Iselia, and unless someone else was living there and going to Colwyn frequently enough to make this tiny track he was sure it would stop short, and he'd have to find his way from there on by himself. But then again, it had been three hundred years: it was perfectly within reason that someone else would be occupying the wooden house in Iselia Forest, and if Colwyn was closer the path would make sense. He couldn't see anything between the trees yet. Maybe the port was further than he'd realised.

Ahead of him the trees thinned, the gentle trickling of a stream reaching his ears, but still no house. He slowed down as his feet met stone, and stared.

The clearing surrounded a grassy patch on the other side of the tiny river, patchy with dirt in some areas but otherwise flat and flourishing. Close to where Kratos was standing an old bench was situated, green with moss and falling apart, with a small mound of old rocks hidden behind it just as equally coloured. Amongst the grass was the occasional old wooden plank, what was left of a small pen collapsing with age as its roof sloped to the ground, no wall left to hold it up any more. Over at the other side were three tall stones, where a familiar girl with rose pink hair was sat in the grass, curled up with her knees to her chest as she stared at the grave before her.

Hopping across the stream Kratos walked towards Valanoir, his eyes drawn to the small amount of debris left that had been reclaimed by nature over the years, and at the sound of his footsteps she turned around. She looked surprised to see him, and rose to her feet with a sad smile.

"You come to see, too?" she asked, brushing herself off as she gestured to the three graves. With a vague nod he stared at them, brow furrowed. He wasn't sure what else he'd expected: crossing his arms, all he could do was stare. All three were overgrown and weathered, any writing they had faded and hidden beneath slime and moss. "Heroes 'Lloyd the Great' and 'Lady Colette', yeah? Mama told me they were buried here a long time ago: people at Colwyn and Iselia come and pay respects, but not many people know 'bout it. Don't know third grave though."

Sighing softly her dark eyes scanned the graves' faces a second time, her voice poignant to match her unhappy features. "Was a house here, but burnt down long ago. Mama told me what she knew of the story, right here, when we were going to Colwyn. Don't remember what happened after, but 'round then I started living with mama and papa Dewight. Taught me human language- well, best they can, yeah?" she chuckled softly, before looking up at Kratos again with a slightly happier smile. "Glad I can see them- the graves, I mean. They fight for equality before I was born, and I'm happy because of them. Sam too: half elves still live hard, but he seems happy."

"The Eques still capture half elves and part demons: can you really say that's 'equality'?" Kratos answered, still focused on the green stone slabs. Valanoir nodded defiantly.

"Because of heroes, people like me not so afraid! Mama met my real papa when she was travelling: her mama always afraid of going near humans, 'cause she lived back when laws were harsher, but my mama went anyway and was happy!" There was incredible pride in her voice as she spoke of her mother, her hands planted once again on her hips as she beamed. "Me, mama, papa, and my sister- down near Palmacosta. If heroes hadn't worked so hard for equality, mama would never be happy, and I wouldn't be here!"

Her positive words were enough to bring the slightest of smiles to Kratos' lips. Even three hundred years later, there was such pride when 'Lloyd the Great' was mentioned.

"But the Eques..." With a gentle ring she lowered her hands back to her sides, her gaze downcast towards the graves again. "...Don't like demons. Think them a 'dirty' species: dark creatures, working evil in shadows. We left Palmacosta when papa disappeared, and mama tried taking us to Flanoir. Safe there: no Eques. But we lost each other... My mama and Collarose..."

The twittering birds filled the silence that fell across the clearing, Valanoir's distant gaze now staring out amongst the green foliage that surrounded them. Not even the ocean could be heard from here: only the birds, the stream, and the gentle rustling of the branches.

"...Without Lloyd the Great, mama and papa Dewight would never have looked after me. Wouldn't even be here." With another gentle sigh she shook her head, before once again turning to look at Kratos. "Eques ruin families, but I'm still happy. Sam is still happy, though he's ill. Want to help him, I do: he's special." She was grinning now, bearing small elongated canines at him.

With a polite nod and a pleasant farewell Valanoir soon disappeared back down the path they'd initially walked up, leaving Kratos with the three graves. The two positioned on the left were new- well, _less old_ than the one to the right, the shape of which he recognised almost instantly despite his absence. It was impossible to forget, especially under the circumstances under which he'd first seen it, and despite its age it had survived the years well. Kneeling before it he scraped what he could of the grime and moss off, revealing a pattern that had almost worn away completely, and a very faded name carved into the upper part of the stone. His fingers traced the shallow, almost-invisible grooves: Anna.

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><p>Okay, it's a little sappy too, but I wanted to set up Valanoir a little better too. Now, you see that clicky thing down there? Reviews are good!<p> 


	12. Bobbing Boats and Buzzkills

Okay, it's been a while since I updated. Ever had one of those moments where _everything_ just seems stupidly interesting? Yeah, first it was Megaman, then Rayman, then FFIX... Well, I finally managed to get this out.

Please, **please** point out any mistakes. I'm not bothering to bother my sister any more since she's busy, and it's so late that I can't actually keep both eyes open. I hope it's interesting and vaguely understandable: just ask if something confuses you (unless it's plot: I'm just going to stick out my tongue and go 'I know something you don't know!').

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><p>"Where have you been? People are boarding!" Things were still just as quiet back in Colwyn as when he'd left, except for when he approached the inn. Standing outside were Sam, Valanoir and Claudia, the eldest of which Kratos had heard exclaiming indignantly at the half elf, who was hanging his head in shame.<p>

"I-I was looking for Vala!" he mumbled meekly in reply, which made the pink haired girl giggle as Claudia heaved a weary sigh. She and Valanoir had already changed back into their own clothes, with Claudia holding two other bundles of neatly folded clothes in her arms. Seeing Kratos approaching the younger girl smiled and greeted him with a small wave, drawing Claudia's attention to himself.

"Oh, Sophie gave me your clothes too. Here." She handed over the bottom pile. "She said they might be a little damp, though." Giving his thanks he headed into the inn, with Sam following close behind with his own clothes in hand, still looking like a scolded child.

The bar had emptied a little since this morning, the young man at the bar now nowhere to be seen, and a young woman in a simple shirt and skirt was walking around the tables, gathering dishes in her arms and carrying them to the kitchen for Sophie. Heading up the stairs Sam wandered into the bathroom to change, throwing Kratos the key to the room they'd occupied before.

"I can't wait 'til I get home..." he grumbled, closing the door behind him with a snap and an irritated mumble. It didn't take long to change, and both were soon back downstairs with Claudia and Valanoir, having handed the key back to Sophie before heading down to the dock. Arriving at the water side Claudia was looking through her purse again, frowning at whatever was held inside.

"Two hundred gald... That is cheap." Valanoir nodded with a grin at the young woman's comment, before both looked at Sam. "You have enough?"

"Ah- uh, hold on." Pulling his bag forward he delved inside, rummaging a little through the mess trapped inside, before drawing his own blue wallet and checking inside. "... Got twenty I could borrow?"

"'Borrow'? I'll never see it again...!" huffed Claudia, but she handed over the small coins regardless.

"You heading for Flanoir?" Valanoir asked Kratos, who was looking up at the boat bobbing in the water next to them. It was small, possibly housing a selection of overnight beds, but for short trips like the one from Colwyn to Flanoir it was enough. He nodded in reply to Valanoir. "You're coming with us!"

Her pleased exclamation quickly drew Sam and Claudia back to them, both of which looked confused.

"But I thought you were going to Iselia...?" inquired the half elf, head quirked to one side, and Kratos nodded.

"I was, but with soldiers searching for that missing prisoner I thought I'd head for Flanoir instead. I can head to Meltokio by boat from there." He'd seen what he'd headed this way for anyway: Anna's grave, with the addition of the two other graves. Though Valanoir stated they were Lloyd and Colette's there were no names carved in the stone, only similar patterns, but with no evidence they belonged to anyone else there wasn't much he could do other than to offer his own prayers before leaving. He hadn't been entirely sure what he was expecting when he visited the grave- other than the house, it was pretty much exactly how it should've been. Three graves...

The two teens from Flanoir were staring incredulously once again, and with his arms crossed he sighed softly. Every time he mentioned his intentions, they gave him this look.

"Meltokio? Are you crazy?" Sam almost yelled, dumbfounded. "That's, like, Eques Central!"

"They keep prisoners in some kind of coliseum, and make them fight to the death!" added Claudia, shuddering at the mere thought. Kratos, with eyes half lidded in boredom at their constant warnings, cast a glance at Valanoir to his left, finding that she looked more puzzled by them than by him.

"Why you bothered he going there?" she asked, and their blank stares turned to her instead.

"He has no-" Claudia started, but when Kratos cleared his throat to get her attention she quickly shut up, following her gaze as he looked at the people boarding the boat. They were watching them closely, which wasn't surprising considering how loud the two from the northern continent tended to get. Red faced, she mumbled an apology, and with a shake of his head he gestured to the gangplank.

"Let's get on board."

They managed to secure a more private room below deck, at the end of the short corridor and joined only to one other room. The walls were made of metal, only one layer and built only to separate: the low murmur of people next door was easy to distinguish, but they left after leaving their bags and left them with the slow creaking of the boat and occasional thumping of footfalls on the floor above. There were four bunks, and almost instantly Sam went for the top one on the left, leaping like a monkey to clamber up and ignoring the ladder completely.

"Hey! You're so rude!" Claudia snapped, but he ignored her with a contented hum as he curled up with his pillow in his arms. She threw her bag into the bed underneath regardless and lay down herself with a sigh, and Valanoir did the same in the bed opposite, leaving the top right bunk for Kratos as he waited by the door for them to settle. He placed his own bag at the foot of his bed as he looked out the small porthole, which overlooked the ocean. Occasionally a wave would lap up and slap against the glass, but otherwise the view was unspoiled of the rolling waves.

"So, why you running from Eques?" Sitting cross-legged on her bed Valanoir was looking up at him in curiosity. Despite the dark colour of her eyes and skin her inquisitive features reminded him very much of Colette: they both smiled when asking him curious questions. At the other side of the room Claudia sat up herself, leaning against the wall as she folded one leg over the other.

"No ID." Shaking his head softly as he arranged his bed a little couldn't hide his agitation. He'd been concerned that the soldier at the bar had known they were taking the boat...

Valanoir was none the less intrigued by this, before nodding to Claudia and Sam.

"And what 'bout you?" The young woman looked a little uncomfortable at this, like she'd been back in the inn, and wrung her hands a little bit.

"Ah... I don't think-"

"Caught up in a battle in Triet when the soldiers were rounding up escapees." Eyes narrowed the brunette wasn't pleased when Kratos said this, but he turned to her sternly with features etched with growing anger. "Don't divulge information that isn't yours to share freely. We're lucky the soldier at the bar didn't turn us in," he thundered, her distraught expression enough to let him know she hadn't realised before. She'd turned as red as her hair used to be, drawing her knees up to her chest as she sat up straight.

"W-what soldier?" Her voice was higher than before as well as she covered her mouth with her hand. Kratos crossed his arms, shaking his head in disappointment.

"If you were thinking about your safety at all you wouldn't need to ask that question. If the Eques are after you, you can't trust anyone: you don't know who'll turn you in," he warned, and despite the fierce scolding his voice was low enough to keep from waking Sam, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Beneath him Claudia averted her guilty gaze to the floor, still hugging her knees, and with an annoyed 'hmph' Kratos left the room.

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><p>Up on deck many of the passengers were casually milling about in the sunshine: being such a fine day after the storm the night before it wasn't surprising, the air warm and accompanied by a salty breeze. The whistle sounded, the gangplank raised, and the boat started drifting lazily forward out of the small dock. It followed the wooden walkways a little, turning slowly as it did, and Kratos watched as more and more of Colwyn disappeared behind the boat. The forest was before him now with the clearing visible only by the lack of trees, but soon enough that disappeared as well, and they were out on open waters. A few of the passengers were still waving eagerly at anyone who remained at Colwyn from the stern, mostly children and families, and it wasn't long before they dispersed when people were undistinguishable from houses.<p>

It was at the stern that Kratos took a seat. As the boat picked up speed so did the wind, blowing his hair about his face as he watched the waves roll by. The trip would likely take only until mid afternoon, considering how close the northern continent was to the mainland now, but finding something to do to fill that time was his next problem. Unlike Sam he couldn't sleep, and planning his route had been easy back at the inn; get off the boat, get on another boat, and wait until he was in Meltokio instead. But in the meantime...

The ocean was a brilliant blue sprawling before him, glistening like broken glass as the waves gently rocked the boat. On occasion a fin could be seen disappearing between low crests in a flash of turquoise and pink, most likely curious mermaids or large fish, not daring to get close but still brave enough to follow. Children had spotted them as well, rushing to the port side to get a closer look while shouting in excitement, abandoning a game of tag in the process and laughing and waving to get their attention. Kratos had always remembered mermaids being close to Altamira, but he shrugged it off: the world had changed. Habitats were bound to change as well, and the ocean was vast.

Sitting on a bench at the stern he could see up the port side to the bow, the upper cabins and bridge in the amidships obscuring his view of the whole deck, which was mostly clear save for the children running around and the adults watching them. All the cargo was stowed away in the hold, leaving only benches and a few bundles of ropes visible, along with the occasional life buoy. In the wall of the upper cabins that faced him was the door that lead inside, whilst in the floor to its side were the steps to the lower decks, where a familiar navy haired boy was walking up into the sea breeze. Lifting an arm to shield his eyes from the sun high above them he cast his worried gaze around him, and when he spotted Kratos he wandered over with his hands in his pockets. He still looked very tired, which only made his concern more obvious.

"Kratos, have you seen Claudia? She ran off a little after you left..." He was hunched against the wind as it blew across the deck, more because of its sudden strength than its temperature since it was still surprisingly warm. Kratos shook his head and Sam sighed, his posture slumping in dismay before he ran his hands across his face. "Man, she hides every time she's upset. This boat isn't even that big...!"

Grumbling under his breath he looked around the visible decking again, as if expecting the brunette to have turned up in the past minute, and even climbed up onto the bench to peer over the back of the boat before hoping down again in defeat. "I'm gonna tie a bell 'round her neck..."

"She'll turn up: she can't leave unless she jumps," Kratos tried to reassure him, but his tone was less than soft and this only made Sam panic, gripping his blue locks with wide eyed horror.

"Oh hell: what if she _has _jumped?" The mercenary almost ran his hand down his face in disbelief at Sam's reaction, but settled for clenching his hand before it could get there before standing up.

"She hasn't, just calm down," he told him a little more sternly, his gaze going to the upper cabins. "What about upstairs?"

Sam turned around and followed his gaze, and with a deep breath he nodded with a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, okay... I'll go check."

"I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Thanks. Oh, Vala's asleep in our room!" the half elf called back over his shoulder as he headed towards the door, and Kratos nodded to show he'd heard before he disappeared inside. But Sam was right: the boat was hardly sprawling. To be hiding would mean being somewhere inside, since the deck was so open and empty of nooks to crawl into, but he'd search the deck regardless.

* * *

><p>Several things struck him as odd roughly an hour and a half later. The most obvious was that the snowy continent that carried Flanoir still hadn't appeared on the horizon, as even from a distance the mountains that surrounded the snow fields were large enough to be spotted. The second was closely connected to the first: if they were heading north, the temperature was expected to drop substantially the further they went. The boat may not have been going fast but a change would still happen as they went, but everyone on deck was beginning to peel off layers rather than put them back on.<p>

Standing at the bow of the ship now instead Kratos was staring intently at the blue line of the horizon. It was cloudless, and not a spit of land was to be seen, even with his angelic sight. With nothing but ocean around them it was hard to tell which direction they were headed in, and being mid afternoon the sun was still roughly in the centre of the sky. He reached for his bag... before remembering he'd left it in the cabin, and sighed in irritation before turning to head down to get it. One quick glance at his compass would be enough to determine where they were going.

"S'alright, Claude. We'll be home soon, you'll see..." To the starboard of the deck Sam walked from beneath the shade with an arm around Claudia's shoulders. The girl herself looked downcast, her arms crossed in a huff akin to a child after a tantrum, and he didn't want to have to deal with an attitude like that. They hadn't seen him, too involved with their conversation to be paying attention to anyone on deck, and so he walked around the other side of the children still playing, who had found a ball somewhere and were kicking it from one to another. Parents were still watching attentively, now sitting in the shade of the veranda beneath the window of the bridge, but no one else seemed to have noticed the lack of cold.

Below decks it was cooler, not that he personally minded. It was also quieter, which was to be expected: everyone was up above and enjoying the weather, and he could walk the hall without the concern of bumping into any more small children. With so many around he was surprised he hadn't been confronted by any, as they always seemed to find him unbelievably interesting, and he'd never been able to figure out why. He hadn't bothered trying either.

"...let a _filthy_ being on board. We should throw you into the ocean...!" Unfamiliar voices drifted down the corridor to greet him, and as he approached he realised they were coming from their room at the end. An even voice spoke above the others, soft in a sea of murmured chuckles with a cutting, sarcastic edge, which rung clearly when a _giggle_ spilled from the lips of the man who owned it. There was a soft ring, increased chortling, and a frightened whimper that Kratos quickly recognised belonged to Valanoir. "Now, better deal with you before any of your '_friends'_ get back."

The door handle was rattled, but before the door could be pulled open Kratos pushed, and when he stepped inside he found three men sprawled on the ground, stunned. Stood behind them was Valanoir, arms bound behind her back and a gag tight around her mouth, her red-rimmed eyes suddenly alight with relief upon seeing the mercenary, and close to her side with one of her long pigtails in hand like a reign was a brunette man in black armour. He looked shocked to see Kratos and stared at him in dumbfounded silence for a moment, before a wide grin spread across his face that bared almost all his teeth, holding a knife to Valanoir's side.

"_Nephilim_!" Kratos stared back when this word was yelled at him, the pleased look on the soldier's features enough to throw him off focus long enough for the men on the floor to get up again. Each one drew a weapon, a short sword, whilst the man still holding Valanoir tugged her back by her hair with the same manic grin. "General Owen will be so pleased if I bring _you_ back! I didn't think you'd be on _this_ boat!" The three foot soldiers advanced without order, and without enough room to draw his own weapon Kratos was effectively stuck. He gripped the Last fencer by its hilt, his hand coming to rest on the loop that held it to his hip.

They aimed to surround him, too close to his sides to allow an escape back into the hall, but with Valanoir still trapped fleeing wasn't an option.

"Get inside, and keep your hands where we can see them," ordered the man directly before him, gesturing in an upward motion with the tip of his blade. He complied, his fingers working through the loop that held the sword to his belt, and as the soldier to his left reached forward with a length of rope in his hands he separated the two and pulled it free. Swinging it up he struck the man in front of him beneath the chin, knocking him backwards off his feet, before swiping it around and clipping the second across the temple. He fell hard against the wall, and a swift elbow to the abdomen of the third made quick work of him, leaving Kratos to freely step into the room and draw his weapon with a long, almost musical ring. His stony gaze met the brunette's, but despite seeing his men being taken down with little effort he was still flashing his teeth in an eerie smile.

"Well, I knew you were strong, but that's _incredible_! I see why the General wants you so much, _especially_ with that funny little doohicky on your hand!" Bright green eyes flickered to the cerulean gem on the back of Kratos' hand, which the mercenary ignored with steely determination. It wasn't difficult to see the poor girl shaking, slowly dropping to her knees, but when she'd slipped too far the soldier tugged her back up by the hair with a giddy giggle. "Tell me, _Nephilim_... where did you get that?"

"Let her go," he ordered, either his firm order or his ignoring of the question making the frenzied smile falter slightly. There was a twitch to his eye that suddenly made the smirk seem painfully forced.

"An eye for an eye? You tell me, and I'll-"

"I won't answer your question and you will let her go." One of the men behind him groaned, but he paid no heed. They weren't a problem the first time, and the second time would be no different.

He lifted his sword, holding it level to the man's chin. It easily covered the distance between them, and he even leant back an inch or two as he stared at it cross-eyed. Valanoir noticed the distraction and tried to pull free, squealing through the gag when he yanked her back like an unruly dog and bringing fresh tears to her eyes.

"Now, now... An argument with an Eques Official is _highly_ unrecommended, _especially_ when they have a prisoner." He insisted on emphasising some words by elongating them slightly, and this habit was doing nothing to help Kratos temperament. But his concern was quickly drawn to what he'd said.

"Why are Eques on board?" he asked, but the man tutted him, his unruly locks brushing his cheeks as he shook his head.

"How _rude_, wanting more than you can have! You can have the answer or the beast, not both, and only if you answer _my_ question _first_."

"Hey Valanoir! You awake?"

Footsteps had been approaching the half-open door, and as Sam and Claudia turned into the doorway they quickly halted in their tracks, gasping at the sight that met their eyes.

"Krat- what the-" There was a gasp as one of the other soldiers deftly leapt to his feet, and by the twisted cackle that left the 'Eques Official's lips he guessed he'd lost the upper hand already. "Vala! What's going on- let her go!" Sam yelled, grunting as he struggled in his captor's grasp. The lead soldier gestured for Kratos to lower his blade, which he did so begrudgingly before sliding it back into its scabbard. Not a moment later and his arms were pulled behind his back, a rope wrapped around his wrists and upper arms that kept him firmly bound in place.

Looking satisfied the brunette nodded, his smile turning smug as he pulled Valanoir back onto her feet.

"Take _them_ to the deck. We should be docking in Altamira in less than two hours: that should give up plenty of time to sort out our new _prisoners_."

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><p>I like and don't like this guy. It's hard to explain.<p> 


	13. Dive

I was actually hoping to make this one a lot longer, but it was _so hard_ to write! I have no idea why, either, and this makes me sad. But... well, I guess it's good that I've finally put something up after so long, but this is so disappointing. It proves two things: 1. I can't write crowd scenes, and 2. I can't write fights all that well at the moment. I've done good ones, but they're normally one on one or against dragons: thinking four on one is haaaaard...!

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><p><strong>12: Dive<strong>

Herded like cattle to the bow of the boat every passenger on board was forced to sit on the benches in the sunshine, and watched in silent fear as the four bound in ropes were led up from below. More soldiers had made themselves known, two of them guarding the stairs that lead up to the bridge, and the remainder surrounding the benches to keep a watchful eye on those they'd rounded up. Forced to kneel before them their weapons were removed, and Valanoir was finally released: she scurried to her companions and sat between Sam and Kratos, doing her best to hide from the soldiers _and_ the passengers now staring intently at her. Dark marks were showing up on her arms where she'd been grabbed, her hair tousled and eyes red rimmed, and she curled up in shame as best she could with her arms bound. Using Sam's shoulder she managed to pull down the gag, leaving it to hang around her neck like an off-white scarf.

Climbing up from the lower cabins the Eques Soldier took a deep lungful of sharp sea air, and with a satiated smirk he looked about his captives. Their weapons were handed to the soldiers by the bridge, who threw them through the door they were guarding without a second thought.

"Isn't _this_ a pleasant trip! Instead of the _miserable_ snow of Flanoir I present to you _Altamira_!" In roughly his early- to mid-twenties, he was a well built young man in black and silver armour, a brunette with bright green eyes and tanned skin. His hair, a little unkempt, hung around his face to his chin in limp locks, the rest of which was tied back in a small tail to keep it from the joints in the shoulders of his battle suit.

He grinned once again. "I am Major Aber, and I will be your host for the _remainder_ of this trip: for now, we'll just be performing a _quick_ ID check! As you all _probably_ know: the Eques Scientiae are searching for an _escapee_ from Triet. He wasn't found in Izoold, and as searches continue in Luin and continue south, _my_ company and I are in charge of searching _ships_. Rendezvousing in Altamira, the Lezareno Company have _kindly_ agreed to let rooms for the evening, for those of you who _pass_ the check." His gaze scanned the four before him again. "_Prisoners_ will be held, and _dealt_ with by the soldiers positioned at the resort."

"I swear; he keeps talking, I'm gonna kill myself..." Sam muttered with a grimace, but before he could continue (and he seemed very ready to do so) Aber stomped forward and wrenched him to his feet by a firm grasp on the front of his shirt. The armoured man looked livid, the twitch back in his eye as he held the surprised boy barely inches from his face.

"_Please_; I'd be _glad_ to help, but all of those in _your_ condition are needed _alive_ at the Imperial Research Laboratories," he seethed, every 'T' and 'S' flicking spit.

Grimacing visibly at the unwanted shower Sam was now glaring at the man invading his personal space, despite the fact he was pulled onto the tips of his toes to be eye level with him.

"What makes you think I'm going there?" he spat back, luckily not in the literal sense, but that didn't make Aber any less angry. Throwing him back onto the ground he kicked him onto his back, and before Sam could right himself again a heel was digging into his right arm. He yelled out in pain, but with his arms bound so tightly he couldn't wriggle free, leaving him at the mercy of the chuckling soldier standing over him.

"I think the _decay_ is reason enough! And I'm sure they'll find _something_ to do with your two _redhead_ friends," he sneered, driving his foot further and watching in delight as Sam squirmed.

With his attention drawn he failed to defend himself from a sharp kick to his knee, the leg he'd been standing on quickly buckling and sending him to the floor with a loud clang. The moment he was released Sam struggled onto his back and sat up, only to find Valanoir getting to her feet with an expression of fiery determination. Before the soldier could get up she pressed a foot to his chest.

"You BULLY!" she thundered, before a series of clicks filled the air around the deck and rallied a frightened gasp from the other passengers. Each foot soldier had drawn a firearm, and every one was trained on Valanoir, who quickly stepped back.

"Lower your weapons, you _idiots_. You'll just hit each other," Aber barked, quickly getting to his feet again. Like before he caught one of Valanoir's long pigtails and yanked her closer, at which point Kratos caught a glint in Claudia's hand as she pulled something from one of Sam's boots. "Finally have the _nerve_ to fight back, do we?" the soldier hissed to Valanoir, his ear-to-ear grin back on his features. The poor girl seemed to have quickly become his 'favourite'.

But she looked up at him, smiling through her pain.

"No: I have room." Another kick to the back of his knees was enough to make him stumble, and though he still had a grip on her hair Valanoir swung her leg around and struck him across the small of his back. Her pigtail was released, and with little effort she hopped onto his back and kicked him to the ground, jumping off again with a small somersault before landing crouched at his feet.

In an uproar four of the foot soldiers to her left and right sprang into action, drawing their blades instead after their leader's warning and aiming to overpower the young woman back into submission. But without a second thought she made a dash for the stairs to the lower cabins, leaving Kratos, Sam and Claudia with the remaining six soldiers and the stunned leader. He was still conscious, but obviously dazed, and as the foot soldiers made to secure the other side of the boat Claudia dared to reveal her now severed bonds to cut her friend loose.

"Did you know she could do that?" the half elf asked in shock, still staring at the leader as Claudia moved on to Kratos instead.

"If you didn't, what makes you think I did?"

The three remaining soldiers were quick to notice that another of their captives were free, and moved quickly to restrain her. But with a quick swipe Claudia was pulling Sam's ropes loose, and as he took the knife to free Kratos she leapt to her feet and aimed a punch at the soldier almost on top of her. Quick and unexpected, it sent him reeling back into his companion, whilst Claudia was left grasping her hand in pain.

"Sunnova-!"

"Claudia!" Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the bridge, Kratos already leading the way with Sam's dagger in hand, and as the door opened he disarmed the guard coming through with little effort. Pulling him out onto the deck he soon threw Sam and Claudia their weapons, closing the door again and pulling one of the benches across to block it.

"_Idiots_! Can't you do _anything_ right?" By now Aber had been helped to his feet, and was glaring at the three escapees in a dazed fashion. Drawing his own firearm he aimed at Kratos. "I only need the _Nephilim_ and the half elf. This girl and the _demon_ can be killed for all I care." The three guards complied, two of them mimicking their commanding officer whilst the third headed off towards the stern. When Sam stepped in front of Claudia Aber laughed. "Don't flatter yourself! I'm _more_ than happy to _shoot_ you as well, providing it goes through. Now _stand aside_."

Defiant, Sam kept his steely gaze fixed with Aber's, and drew one of his weapons in a flash. The major saw this motion and fired, prompting a gasp and a few screams from the passengers as the bangs resounded across the deck, but the bullets clattered harmlessly to the ground when a green light appeared around the three beneath the veranda. Sam's hand was pushed down, and a purple haze surrounded them briefly like a mist instead, before several bolts of lightning struck the deck. The two foot soldiers were forced to drop their weapons as electricity nipped at the barrels, whilst Sam was shoved towards one of the side paths by Kratos. He looked back in time to see the mercenary draw his blade, Claudia looking nervous but doing the same beside him, but as more gunshots emanated from the back of the ship he broke into a run towards the stern to find Valanoir.

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><p>Gathered around the back exit of the cabins the four remaining soldiers were all looking up towards the ship's funnel, each with their weapons primed and ready to fire. Little plumes of smoke escaped from five or six little holes in the red metal, bullet holes from when they'd fired earlier, but this didn't seem to be enough as each one watched the roof closely. Ducked around the corner out of sigh Sam drew his own firearm and checked the cylinder: seven shots. If he needed it he still had its twin, but he was low on bullets as it was and would prefer to save them if he could. Still, needs must as the devil drives...<p>

They were still watching the rooftop, probably thinking that their Major was in control of the situation with the passengers. He checked again, firearm at the read, and fired three shots. One hit the closest man in the arm, but the other two missed, and as he ducked back into hiding the remaining three soldiers opened fire on him instead. They stormed over to his corner, a big black boot coming into sight first, which Sam didn't hesitate to put a bullet through before leaping to his feet. The soldier fell to the floor with an agonised yell, dropping his gun and sending it across the wooden panelling, and his companion almost stepped on him before managing to hop over just in time. He was met with an elbow to the gut during his confusion, and Sam tried to wrench his weapon from his hands.

"Stop right there!" Though helping the man with the injured arm the fourth soldier was already aiming at Sam, who had stepped out from behind his wall. The half elf froze, realising his mistake, but before he could dive out of the way again a figure in pink jumped down from the roof and landed neatly on the soldier's shoulders. With an 'oof' he was forced to the ground, the other soldier swept off his feet by a low kick around his ankles not a moment later, and once Sam finally managed to get the gun from his opponent he found he didn't need it. Valanoir stood up and rushed to him, the only visible injury she had being a graze to her upper arm which had started bleeding a little, and greeted him with a relieved smile.

"Thank you!" she gasped, chest heaving as she tried to get her breath back, and as he cut the ropes that bound her arms he shook his head.

"You're kidding, right? If you didn't help me, they would've shot me for sure!" Rubbing her sore forearms she was still smiling gratefully.

"But you-"

Another flash of lightning distracted them from their brief conversation, and with fresh determination Sam threw the soldier's gun overboard before grabbing Valanoir's hand.

"C'mon!"

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><p>"Make it easier for everyone, <em>Nephilim<em>! Surrender yourself and the half elf!" The two foot soldiers weren't difficult to deal with, but with a gun of his own Major Aber was proving to be a pain. Being an accurate shot with it, he'd already forced Kratos to go on the defence, healing a hole one bullet had managed to leave in his arm whilst Claudia quickly ducked behind the overturned bench. He only stopped to reload, and thankfully it wasn't long before his rate of fire went down. Unfortunately, it also meant he was much more careful, which was proven as splinters and a chunk of the wooden post holding up the veranda were torn out of place only a few inches from Kratos' ear.

"Why does he keep calling you that?" Claudia's puzzled whine came from behind the bench, and all Kratos could do was shake his head. They were pinned: if he tried to move, Aber would most likely aim straight for Claudia instead of stopping him; but if they waited around like this the guards would be back from the stern and they'd be caught again. Unless, of course, Sam and Valanoir had managed to overpower them.

More gunshots rang through the air, followed closely by the heavy clatter of a firearm against the planks. They'd come from the port side, and Kratos watched as Valanoir left Sam and sprinted across the deck towards Aber, who was grasping his hand in pain and glaring harshly at the half elf still aiming at him. She aimed a kick at his head again, hands to the floor to balance her, but she was easily blocked and forced back as Aber drew his sword instead. By now Kratos had come to join the rose haired half demon, defending her as she tried instead to knock the soldier off his feet, but even with his now bleeding hand he managed to stand his ground against both. Though he was forced to defend against the mercenary he could keep up with him, and as they clashed, blade to blade, Valanoir was forced to back off further for fear of being caught by either. With Claudia leaving the safety of the bench she was soon at the young woman's side.

The passengers scattered when Aber was flung across the deck, protecting himself against a particularly hard hit from Kratos. Several benches and chairs were knocked over but he still managed to land on his feet, grinning inanely as he straightened himself out, looking almost no worse for wear. When there was another gunshot he focused on Sam, who was stood in the shade of the veranda, and without another thought towards the three approaching quickly from the front he hopped to the wall. His balance was incredible: running along the top of the wide railing he made it halfway along before Sam fired another two rounds, which missed as he jumped back onto the deck and charged straight for him. In a great arch he swung his blade towards his neck, and Sam fell back against the wall with a yelp as metal met wood with a thick thunk. It passed almost two thirds of the way through the post, and came out just as easily as Aber thrust it towards Sam's arm instead, which he only narrowly avoided by ducking to the side again.

He brought it quickly to his side when Kratos attacked again, but was forced up against the wall regardless when a second blade met his waist. A chunk of his armour clattered to the ground, and the moment the short sword was withdrawn he grasped his injury tightly and turned to face the mercenary holding both the blue ore sword and Claudia's smaller weapon, which was dripping red down one side. With stubborn resolve he engaged Kratos once again, concentrating blow after blow on the shorter sword in his left hand and forcing him back onto the deck.

"Kratos! The soldiers!" Sam yelled from the sidelines, quickly running to Claudia and Valanoir as the men from the back of the ship came to join their leader. They moved the bench from the bridge door, and more soldiers swarmed the deck like a flood.

Backing off, Aber looked more smug than ever, ignoring the wound in his side as his men surrounded the group of four, cornering them at the bow.

"Well, _Nephilim_: it was an _impressive_ last stand, but in the end it was nothing but a waste of _time_ and _effort_." He gestured to the east, where a sandy shore and green hills were visible and stretching on towards the south before them. "See that? It means we'll be in _Altamira_ within the _hour_! Then it's _straight_ to Meltokio for you!"

Scowling at Aber Sam seemed ready to leap forward and throttle him, but the Major was keen to call him out.

"And don't _you_ worry either, my little half elf _runt_. They'll be happy to _receive_ you at Sybak, though your two little _female_ friends won't be so _lucky_."

"Well, it was a good trip while it lasted..." grumbled Claudia, taking her sword back from Kratos. But before she could put it away Valanoir grabbed her arm, and before she knew it she was being pulled over the wall.

"_Stop them_!" bellowed Aber, Claudia's scream quickly cutting off when she hit the water with a splash. But Kratos and Sam were quick to follow suit, diving over the side just as the Eques soldiers opened fire, and disappearing into the foaming white and blue bellow.

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><p>Seriously, you all need to nag at me. I need the motivation to actually shape this sh*t up, 'cause right now I'm really pussyfooting it and it's annoying me. All my spare time has recently gone to working on one of my old NaNo's, but I'm finally getting further in this one and they're about to head somewhere important plot-wise. I just wrote myself into a corner with them on the boat, so I'm hoping the next few chapters will be filled with awesome to make up for the crap you've put up with. So in short, I'm really sorry for the bad stuff and the good stuff will be making a comeback.<p> 


	14. Off Your Rocker

This chapter is coming up earlier than intended because:

1. The last chapter was such a disappointment to me (despite the lovely comments I had about it. Thanks guys!)

2. The last one also took forever to be put up, but this came in, like, three minutes.

3. This chapter is also _painfully_ short.

Basically, it's all the last chapter's fault, and it needs to be PUNISHED! Well... eh, you catch my drift, hopefully.

EDIT: Altamira to Heimdall in two days? THAT'S CRAZY TALK! That's all I changed, because I realised my geographical skills are shite and walking all the way across a continent would take a while longer than a day and a half. And please remember, this is only Kratos' estimation, and he's used to powering his way through the universe itself with his sheer bad ass-ery. Please don't judge me: I'm already doing that quite harshly to myself.

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><p>The afternoon was drawing on as they crawled onto the golden shore, gasping for breath and greatfully grasping at the damp sand. Their clothes and posessions had added considerable weight that made the swim that much harder, and once out of the water everything that could be shrugged off was quickly discarded. Arms wrapped tightly around himself Sam was curled up in no time, shivering in the cooling air of the late afternoon, which Claudia did her best to stop by sitting beside him and pressing her back to his. Peeling off her jacket she squeezed out all the water she could, before wrapping it around him in a feeble attempt at warming him up.<p>

"I-I-I... _n-never_ want t-t-to go swimming... _e-e-ever ag-ag-_again...!" the brunette whimpered, curling up with her head to her knees as she folded her arms across her middle. Wringing out her long pigtails Valanoir was sat next to them in no time, trembling viciously.

"S-s-sorry C-C-Claudie..."

Wiping sopping hair from his eyes Kratos stood before them, looking down at the wet lump they'd amassed as with a soft shake of his head. Noticing this almost instantly, Valanoir frowned.

"S-sorry... f-f-for jumping off the b-b-boat." He sighed, wiping his face as well.

"I-i-it was the b-b-b-best op-option we had a-a-at the t-t-time," Sam quickly interjected, finally sitting up and keeping as close to both girls as possible.

"Think about your actions before you do something impulsive like that again. We might not have all made it here," he told them as he crossed his arms with purpose. Not only were they miles from civilisation, but his bag was still on the boat, with the map and compass inside. And any small amount of food they had would be ruined by the seawater...

"I-I-I _did_ think...!" Drawn once again from his thoughts when Valanoir spoke he met her gaze, her eyes wide and apologetic. "Thinking 'i-i-if w-w-we don't do something, w-w-we in t-trouble'! T-t-they gonna k-k-kill Claudie a-a-an' m-m-me!" Though pleading for understanding, her expression was steadfast, gold and black shining in the light of the slowly sinking sun.

"It could've become much worse," he scolded regardless, to which she hung her head. "...But we made it this far. I guess we can be thankful for that."

"I-I-I thought you w-were r-r-really brave...!" Bringing an arm around her shoulders Claudia swept the young half demon up into a greatful embrace, cheek to cheek as she smiled through her shaking. "B-but a lit-t-ttle warning would b-be nice next t-t-time."

"O-okay! I-I remember t-that!"

Looking up and down the shore it wasn't hard to spot a collection of rocks a little further south, large enough to shade them from any winds that might come in off the ocean during the night. It was hard to rouse the wet teens from where they'd collapsed, but once they were on their feet they were quick to get moving, wringing water out of whatever they could as they went. Any place that could be considered camp at the moment would be an enormous help, especially as the sun sank towards the distant horizon.

It was a long walk, but they arrived with a little evening to spare. With what was left of the dying light they removed what clothes they could, the sand and rocks still hot from a whole day of sunshine and hopefully enough to dry them a little before night fell completely. Scouring the beach for firewood they convened amongst the larger rocks for shelter, forming the best kindling they could around an old log wedged between the stones, which the eldest of them lit with a quick spark of magic. The only food available was whatever crawled close enough to the fire, but once caught no one felt particularly hungry.

As the stars started blinking into being up above they pulled their damp clothes back on, considerably warmer than they were before. One plus to being near Altamira was the warmth the land kept by the end of the day, and the calm evenings. With their backs to the larger rocks Claudia and Valanoir were gazing out towards the mountains in the distance, at least an hour's walk away, whilst Sam had his two firearms laid out before him. Both had been full of water, and neither seemed capable of fire any more.

"I can't believe the Eques were on board..." mumbled the half elf, rolling his head back against the stone with his eyes clenched shut. Drawing her knees up to her chest Claudia stared sadly into the fire, resting her chin on her folded arms.

"Is it because I was talking to that guy at the bar...?"

"It's most likely that they came on the boat straight from Izoold, and didn't leave when it was docked. They didn't seem to be expecting us either." Kratos' words didn't seem to reassure her much, and with a quiet groan she hid her face.

"I've gotta learn to keep my big mouth shut..."

This time it was Valanoir who brought an arm around Claudia's shoulders, rocking her gently like a child as she petted her still-damp hair.

"Is alright, Claudie. It'll be fine. Eques are after Sam, and we need to keep him safe, yeah?"

"That's kind of _why_ I need to keep my mouth shut, Valanoir..."

Sitting up straight again Sam watched both, downcast by the rose haired girl's solemn words.

"Need to keep Kratos safe too. Big, scary man like him need it if he going to a dangerous place: he seem to stand out with Eques." When Valanoir said this, the navy haired boy turned instead to Kratos, a sudden curiosity in his eyes.

"That Aber guy acted like he knew you," he said, before scrunching his nose slightly in thought. "What was it he called you...? Nefelum? Nifel... Nebilim-"

"_Nephilim_. Loosely translated, it means 'children of angels' in angelic." And to be refered as something like that-

"'Angelic'? What, like, a language?" Sam sounded more than a little confused, but much to the mercenary's surprise Valanoir was nodding.

"Yeah: church people know it. They go travelling every year, following last Chosen's journey. I ask once, when they stay at the inn: not many people left that can read it though," she explained, following it with an almost dreamy sigh. "They go all over the world..."

"They come to Flanoir sometimes. They come into the shop where I work to get supplies, before heading off to the old temple to the south." By now Claudia had sat up again, nodding softly as she listened to Valanoir, before nudging Sam. "Remember those guys stopped by for bikes one day? The guy in the robes was a priest from Palmacosta."

"Really? I just thought he was a crossdresser," mumbled the half elf in reply, earning himself a dig in the ribs. "Ah-I was kidding!"

"When you say the 'Last Chosen'...?" Kratos intervened as Sam prodded Claudia back, quickly seeing how the conversation was going as the younger of the two compared the other's sense of humor to that of a popular component of earth. Thankfully he managed to draw them back to meaningul conversation, though Sam shrugged as he buttoned up his waistcoat.

"Eh, I kinda zoned out of that in History..."

Rolling her eyes Claudia nudged him again, sighing softly when he lifted his shoulders again with a shake of his head.

"Idiot..." she grumbled, crossing her legs instead. "The Last Chosen was Colette... uh... Brunette..? No-wait, Brunel. Anyway, she completed the last Regeneration with the hero, Lloyd the Great, and... yeah, that's about as much as I remember," she explained offhandedly, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Kratos again. "Didn't you learn it when you were at school? They teach it in History, right?"

"I didn't go to school, and I still know!" Valanoir cut across indignantly, ignoring the auburn haired man's blank expression.

"I think you learnt less than I did," ribbed Sam, and once again Claudia elbowed him in the side.

"Hey, I remembered more than you did, and I'm older than you!"

"You can say that again-ack! Stop it!"

"That's all you know?" They stopped their bickering when Kratos spoke up, staring dumbly at his incredulous exclamation. It wasn't loud, just sudden, and they looked at each other before each one gave a bemused shrug in return.

"Well, yeah. They went on a pilgramage around the seals of the Summon Spirits when two nations were fighting over the seed of the Great Yggdrasill Tree, and sealed it in the Holy Ground to the west to keep it safe with the help of the Goddess Martel and the angels. Unless you're planning a career in history or the church, you don't need to know much more than that."

"Mama told me it was two worlds," said Valanoir, but Claudia shook her head with a disbelieving smirk.

"When they say two 'worlds' they mean the two Nations. They were so different back then, it must've been like two different worlds, and that's why it's mixed up." Nodding thoughtfully the half demon seemed satisfied with this answer, and all three were soon looking at Kratos like he was insane.

"So if that guy was calling you _nephilim_, does that mean he thinks your some angel's kid?" asked Sam, a little dumbfounded by the idea.

"He really looked like he knew you. Kept calling you that like it was your name," Claudia added with an amused chuckle. "Got a twin brother? Maybe he mixed the two of you up, and he's the one who's actually in a heap of trouble with the Eques!"

Valanoir bumped gently into Claudia, causing the older of the two to look back and find the other stretching tiredly with a yawn. In succession, Claudia did the same, followed closely by Sam, and all three were sniggering in fatigue in minutes.

"Damn it. It's hardly past sunset...!" grumbled Sam, shuffling down a few inches as he reclined against the rock, pulling Claudia's arm around himself like a blanket. She voiced her displeasure, but when Valanoir did the same she merely shook her head and turned her attention to the distant mountains again.

A flurry of sparks escaped the fire when Kratos threw another thick branch amongst the flames.

"Hey, how far are we from, well, anywhere?" With the two teens dozing at her sides Claudia lowered her voice as best she could, but it was difficult to still be heard over the lapping waves and cackling fire. Lifting himself up to look over the rocks Kratos spotted a beacon of lights almost instantly further south: being a hub of tourist beach activity, with an equally popular roster of night time attractions, it wouldn't be much of a shock if Altamira was visible from Derris Kharlan (if you looked through the right window, at least). But it was still a fair distance away, and even then the Eques were waiting for them, most likely writhing in rage from having lost two apparently important captives.

"We're a few hours from Altamira, but going there isn't an option anymore..." Recalling the map was difficult: he hadn't looked at this area so much, considering they were supposed to be in Flanoir by now. There were a few little pockets of civilisation between here and the south of the continent, but other than Altamira the only real town was...

"So we're stuck out here in the wild?" Claudia didn't seem to pleased when she said this, a gentle shudder running through her making Sam mumble something in his sleep before settling again.

"No. In a forest further south is the elven village. It's about four days on foot."

"_Four days_? But... what about food?"

"We should be able to find some on the way," he reassured her, but her demeanor didn't improve. "Sleep for now. We need to be up early, and all three of you haven't slept properly for days."

She nodded, but was still staring pensively into the clawing flames.

"...Why are you going to see the elves? I thought you were headed for Meltokio."

"It's on the way, since we're taking this detour. I'm sure there's a way to get to Flanoir from Heimdall as well." It was also a chance to see if he could find either of the Sage siblings and ask what they knew about _nephilim_, or at least information about the two of them. For all he knew, they could be dead as well.


	15. Health and Safety

Well, here we go!

I've changed how long they're taking to get to Heimdall. As I put in as an edit in the last chapter: Altamira to Heimdall in two days? THAT'S CRAZY TALK! So, yeah: it's going to take them a little longer now, a more reasonable time instead of them sprinting across the continent.

Your reviews have been brilliant! Seriously, they're wonderful to read! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think, because all comments are helpful. But ifyou just want to give a little word of praise, that's gladly welcomed too!

And the illusive BETA has returned! I cleared it all up, but if you still see something in there that probably shouldn't I'll try and do something about it. Guess I'm not that good an editor if I couldn't even do that, but I try my best damn it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Health and Safety<strong>

"Why are we going to Heimdall?" It was mid day: as per the last few days they were up and on their feet early, and by now Altamira was trailing behind them. Sam sighed as he watched the towering buildings from across an azure blue bay, shielding his eyes from the sun as it crawled higher and higher into the sky, bringing a dreadful heat with it. At any other occasion the sunshine would be welcomed, but they were tired, sore, hungry, and filthy once again after their swim the day before, and a hellish walk from the north beach. Two days they'd been walking. _Two. Whole. Days._

By now the young half elf was stripped to the waist and walking through the low lapping waves, boots in hand as his bag bulged at his side, stuffed with his vest, shirt and waistcoat. Despite being pretty much useless after their dip in the saltwater his firearms were still strapped around his hips.

"You're going to burn! Put some clothes on!" He managed a smile when Claudia said this, turning to face her as she and Valanoir followed behind him, walking with his gloved hands in his pockets. Valanoir was enjoying the sun as much as he was, possibly more, having tied up her hair into two buns and rolled up the legs of her trousers to expose her lower legs. Holding her sandals by the straps she was leaving alternate footprints with Sam in the sand, which were quickly washed away when the water rolled in again. Walking along side her Claudia was another picture: the only thing she'd taken off were her shoes and socks, her striped leggings and sleeves now gathered around her knees and elbows. Other than that she was pretty much fully clothed, and was a little red in the face for it.

"Maybe you should take some off!"

"Ain't you warm, Claudie?" asked Valanoir, tugging at the older girl's yellow vest top. "You wearing two layers."

She huffed, blowing loose strands of hair from her eyes as she rolled them, and grumbled "I am _not_ stripping."

"Kratos, ain't you warm too?" Taking point for the time being (since he was the only one who had even the vaguest idea of where they were headed) the auburn haired man cast a look over his shoulder when his name was mentioned, and shook his head. Heat was nothing, but for good measure he'd at least taken off his jacket.

"Come on: you're the one who's always complaining we don't get enough sun up in Flanoir! Why not take the stripes off?"

"No."

Not a moment later and Sam's arms were wind milling as he tripped and fell on his behind, splashing in the water as another wave made its way up the sandy shore.

"Idiot! That's what you get for not looking where you're going!" Claudia was scolding him in no time, but stopped to help him regardless. Hair dripping with water and sand he sat up and rubbed the back of his head, and scanned his previous path in a daze only to find two big yellow eyes looking back at him.

"Geez...!" Gripping Claudia's arm he leapt to his feet and stumbled away from something big and blue in the water, which glared eerily back at him before straightening up with an irritated hiss. Another three melted out of the water, along with an enormous tortoise with what looked like a rock for a shell, and as the three teens slowly retreated they continued to follow.

"Not again! This is the fifth time we've been attacked today!" squeaked Claudia, reaching for her sword.

"Sea dragons!" Valanoir chirruped beside her, clapping her hands with a smile. This only made the two northerners stare blankly in dismay at her, before realising that Kratos had drawn his blade as well.

"Just take care of them."

"Maybe we should walk a little further inland...?" mumbled the eldest of the two girls, eyeing up one of the so-called 'sea dragons' as it hopped closer.

"Monsters everywhere, Claudie! Don't you explore outside town?"

The former-redhead grimaced. "I hate the real world."

They weren't much of a problem for long. Valanoir was light on her feet and hit hard, and Claudia could just about slash at the offending creatures, leaving Kratos to deal with the tortoise and the remaining sea dragon. A few quick Lightning spells did the trick for all of them, and after gathering what spoils they could they were gathered back around Sam, who'd been stood watching where he'd stopped earlier holding one of his firearms in a limp hand.

"You fight like a girl!" Nudging Claudia in good humour Valanoir was sniggering as she tidied her hair, making the older girl huff as she planted her hands firmly on her hips in defiance.

"I don't want to get hurt! I don't have any armour!" Kratos sighed quietly with a soft shake of his head. That was true: they were venturing into dangerous territory, and not one of these kids had a shred of armour to protect themselves. They weren't halfway to Heimdall and already they were running into problems.

"Silly Claude: you beat 'em fast enough, you don't need no armour! See, fine!" replied Valanoir, gesturing to herself with a flourish of her hands before doing a small twirl.

"I'm still not taking the chance. These are the only clothes I have at the moment. If I had my cycle overalls I'd be more than happy to get my hands dirty, but right now I'd rather avoid pain."

"Ah, you big girl!"

Both were sniggering in no time, but when Sam didn't join in they found him staring at the floor, downcast as he slid his firearm back into its holster.

"Sam?"

"We should keep walking," Kratos quickly pointed out, already a few steps ahead of them and putting distance between them. The few pearl-like Mermaid Tears the dragons had dropped would probably sell well and earn them a little extra gald: hopefully they could buy some simple armour to last them until they were back in Flanoir. This escort job was quickly turning problematic and highly dangerous, especially considering how ill-experienced they all were.

Sidling up to the half elf as they rushed to catch up Claudia gave him a concerned once over, before giving him a gentle nudge to the arm.

"You alright?" To his other side was Valanoir, arms folded behind her back as she leant forward a little to see his face behind the longer blue locks of his hair at the front.

"Man, I'm useless without these..." he grumbled, flicking the grips of his weapons agitatedly with his thumbs, before crossing his arms defensively."And my knife's back on the boat."

"Oh... yeah, I forgot about that..." mumbled the eldest of the three, a little awkward as she rubbed her arms.

"Never mind, Samwam: we look after you!" Though she meant her words to be kind, when they passed Valanoir's lips they only made the half elf frown.

"Geez, I can't do _anything_."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself! You're a great cook!" Rolling his eyes he gave Claudia a withering look, and with a quick apology she hung her head.

"But... you a healer, yeah?" asked the rose haired half demon, trailing her fingers softly across what was visible of the white mark on his arm. Once again his bandages were grey, but with his bag waterlogged he had nothing to change them with.

This question only made him turn his unimpressed expression to Valanoir, and she gazed sternly back at him.

"You heal people, not hurt them!"

"Yeah, fat lot of use I am with this... _stuff_." He itched the offending bandage with a scowl. "Can't even heal a paper cut...!"

They stopped when Kratos stopped, and looked around like he was at the mountains to the east. They were nearing the end of a long mountain range surrounded by forest, which they weren't too far from at the moment: they were heading a little further inland for the time being as they followed this range south. West of them was a large sandbank and a few large tide pools, another mountain past the fields beyond waiting like a looming giant on the horizon. But he was focusing more on the eastern mountains, his gaze drawn towards the forest at its base.

"What's wrong?" asked Sam, squinting into the distance.

"There's a town."

"What? Where?" Standing on her toes with her navy haired friend for support Claudia was scouring the landscape for a rooftop, but Kratos shook his head.

"It's just beyond the trees."

"But I thought you said the elven village was the only place down here!" she exclaimed in a high squeak, her expression a mix of relief and agitation.

"We're closer to the Toize Valley than I realised..."

"Toize?" They looked at Sam when he repeated the name, looking a little paler than usual. "Isn't that the tunnel that connects to Moria... that's run by soldiers?"

"Yeah, but town outside run by diggers. They very nice," Valanoir reassured him, before turning back to Kratos with a smile. "We going Toize? Buy food there!"

Without skipping a beat Sam covered his stomach, a low gurgle making itself known and making him smile sheepishly. "Sorry. You mentioned food..."

Kratos sighed and shook his head. "It'll be a good opportunity to find you something to defend yourselves with."

"And eat something. I could eat _anything_ right now."

"You eat anything anyway, Claudia."

"Shut up, you little blue haired meanie."

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><p>"Good evening, gents an' ladies! What can I do you for?" They must have looked a real sight, stumbling into the small village feeling like death. Clinging to each other, Sam and Claudia had followed Valanoir to an inn just within the boundaries, muttering profanities under their breath after struggling for three hours to keep up with Kratos' powerful pace. He was now hanging back as he looked around the small civilisation, the wooden houses and fenced-in crops very reminiscent of Iselia the last time he visited.<p>

A dirt track ran through from one end to another, well walked and letting carts and trailers pass by easily towards the base of the mountain. Surrounding the entrance to the tunnel the village filled the small valley without a problem, meaning anyone who wanted to use the pathway had to travel through. Even from the entrance a stone wall was visible around the mouth, a large gate barring access and guarded by two Eques soldiers. In the shadow of the mountain range darkness had come swiftly, the road being lit by beacons of firelight positioned around the pathways and raised above on tall posts.

The greeting was offered by the man behind the desk at the inn, looking gruff and grubby in dusty overalls but smiling brightly in welcome. Valanoir approached with a great smile of her own, her two teenage companions collapsing onto a sofa in the small foyer with relieved sighs, before turning to Kratos as he shut the door behind him.

"Is two hundred for a room, okay?" she informed him, and when he nodded she confirmed with the inn keeper. Delving into his pockets he handed over what coins he had- spoils from their fights along the beaches- and dropped them with a clatter onto the counter before ushering Sam, Claudia and Valanoir up the stairs.

"Oh sweet, merciful goddess...!" were the first words to pass Claudia's lips when she spied the first bed in the room, leaping onto it like a wolf on its prey, not even bothering to take off her shoes as her feet dangled over the side of the mattress. Sam didn't have the same problem: still in only his trousers he dropped his bag and boots by the side of another bed and curled up, wrapping his arms around the pillow and pulling it under his head with a contented sigh. Like a stern mother Valanoir stood between both with her hands on her hips, displeased at their behaviour.

"Hey, you need to eat!" she ordered, pinching both on the leg to get their attention. Sam batted her away with a lazy wave of his hand, but the eldest of the three leapt up again with a yelp before clasping the back of her thigh with a hurt look at Valanoir.

"It's tender there...!"

"Only had fish for two days: need veggies to be healthy, yeah?" she explained as she took Claudia's hands and pulled her to her feet, much to the latter's protest. "Samwam, come on!"

"Eat in th' mornin'..." he grumbled, burying his face in the white cotton as he curled up as tightly as possible.

Try as they might neither female could get him to rise again, eventually giving up and leaving the room. Waiting a minute or so, Sam eventually lifted his head and looked towards the door: once he was sure they weren't coming back he sat up with a groan and scratched his bandaged arm, before tugging at the knot with a frown.

"What's wrong?" He jumped at the sound of Kratos' voice from the corner of the room, where the mercenary had sat down on the far bed. Holding a hand to his chest Sam heaved a sigh of relief.

"Geez, don't do that...! You're like a ninja or something..." he grumbled, reaching for his bag and digging out his vest, which he pulled on as he went to the door as well. "Just going to the bathroom. Not that you really needed to know that." He laughed softly at his own words, before disappearing out into the hall.

Emptying his pockets Kratos gave what he had in his possession a once over: about five hundred gald, three apple gels, and a handful of Mermaid Tears. Well, hopefully the little pearl drops would help pay for a few things tomorrow morning- that is, if they found anything useful around town. But a map would still be helpful.

"A map? Yeah, I'm sure I got one here of the continent. Hold on..." The other inhabitants of the inn were gathered mainly in the dining room by now, Valanoir and Claudia amongst them and happily devouring a plate of fried vegetables and sliced ham each. Passing back through with a rolled up paper in hand the inn keeper closed the door to the next room behind him, and handed the map to Kratos with a smile. "Sorry I got nothing bigger. Not many people go asking for a map around these parts: they just go straight to the tunnel. You headed for Moria or Altamira? Or maybe the North Checkpoint?"

"By Northern Checkpoint, I'm assuming you mean the bridge over the water between Luin and Triet."

"That's the one! Heard there was a bit of trouble up there about a week ago: guards tried taking down some beast of a man but he got away, even with three darts in him! They still ain't caught him either." Unfolding the map Kratos gave it a quick once over, and nodded his thanks to the inn keeper before heading back up the stairs. A 'beast of a man', was he...?

The room was still empty when he returned, and so he sat on the far bed again and spread the map across the blanket. The map was very old, the village itself drawn in near what was clearly marked as the 'Toize Valley Mine', with areas like Altamira and the circular ruins further north from where they'd swam to shore still islands. To the south was Latheon Gorge, and the House of Guidance was crossed out completely with an inky black scribble. It was clearly _over _three hundred years old, from the time when the world was still split.

Ten minutes later the door opened again, and Sam stepped inside looking much cleaner than he'd left. His hair was damp and his bandage had been changed, tied with a scruffy knot on his wrist, and after mumbling something that sounded vaguely like 'good night' he crawled back into his bed and hid underneath his blanket. Only his navy hair was visible, and it wasn't long before he was snoring quietly.

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><p>Someone was insistent on making him stir the next morning, a pair of hands on his shoulder shaking him back and forth with a pleasant 'good morning!' chiming in his ears. Confused and groggy Sam turned onto his back and squinted up at Valanoir, who was leant over him and showing him a beaming smile.<p>

"Almost ten, Samwam! You been sleeping for _hours_, and Kratos wants armour for you and Claudie before we leave!" She was knelt on the mattress, bouncing up and down a little to improve her waking efforts, her long hair hanging over her shoulders in two damp plaits. "You need big breakfast too! Didn't eat anything before bed!"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he sat up when she clambered off the bed again, and soon had a plate of fried bacon and eggs placed on his lap. On his bedside table a glass of orange juice and a small bundle of grapes were laying in wait, and Valanoir was still smiling as she stood waiting by his bed.

"Eat!"

"Ah, thanks..." Still a little dazed with sleep he took the fork she held out to him, but quickly pulled back his arm when he realised his bandage had come loose. Confused by the sudden motion the young half demon quirked her head to one side, watching as he shoddily wrapped the material back around his forearm. But when it came to tying the knot he barely had a chance to try before Valanoir was back on the bed, sitting beside him instead and reaching over to take his hand. "No, it's fine-"

"Can't tie a knot one handed," she pointed out, pulling his arm closer and taking hold of the loose bandage. Her smile had softened, fingers working carefully to wrap the cotton securely back into place. "...You alright, yeah?"

"Uh... yeah, why?"

"So quiet when we arrived in Toize. Ever since sea dragon, you been... um... what word...?" Pondering for a second, she lifted her arms like she was hiding. "Like tortoise in shell."

"Withdrawn?" he suggested, and she nodded. "What? No I haven't-"

"Hardly talk since then. Because of this?" she asked before he could continue, nodding to his arm still in her hands. He shook his head.

"N-no..."

"Because of weapons?"

His gaze fell to his bag, the two holsters and belt draped over it from the night before.

"..."

"Oh, I forget!" She'd tied the bandage with a simple bow, and was soon delving into her pocket with enthusiasm. As he picked up his orange juice she held out a small blue pendant, which glimmered in the morning light coming in through the window behind her. "Is a Blue Talisman- that's what Kratos told me. Found it in a little second hand shop outside. Not much, but is a thank you!"

"A... thank you?" he repeated, bemused as he took it from her outstretched hand.

"And try and cheer you up a little. Don't want to see you sad." He met her gaze.

"Why a thank you?"

"You helped me on boat against Eques. We were outnumbered, but you so brave!" she explained with adulation, taking his bandaged hand in her own with a gentle squeeze, the gold in her eyes shining against the black as she smiled once again. "Not many people help halfling like me, especially not against Eques."

The sincerity in her voice was enough to bring a sad smile to Sam's features.

"If you didn't stop that Major guy in the first place, we'd probably be in some jail cell in Altamira by now," he replied with a small chuckle, earning one back from the rose haired girl in his company, before she picked up the talisman by its chain and looped it around his neck. "I'm the one who should be getting you a thank you."

"Not many people like you, Sam. I'ma keep you safe, yeah? So you don't need weapons no more."

"But-" he started, but she shook her head to stop him before running her fingers over what was visible of the white mark on his arm.

"This mean you heal. Only reason you don't is this." She touched the bandage gently. "You shouldn't fight."

A knock at the door drew them from their conversation, and both looked up as Claudia poked her head inside.

"C'mon guys, Kratos thinks he's found something for us. We just need to try it on, then we can head off." She didn't sound very happy, her brow furrowed with irritation.

"What's up Claudie?" asked Valanoir, standing up again and walking around the bed to meet her at the door.

"Urgh, it's boiling hot and this guy wants to make me wear _armour_! I'm going to die before I walk three steps out of town..."

"Won't be that bad: means you won't get hurt, yeah?"

This didn't seem to improve her demeanour. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make it suck any less."

Valanoir sniggered.

"Samwam just eating breakfast, but I can go!" she told her, and with one final grin at Sam that bared her slightly elongated canines she disappeared out the door with Claudia.

Sunshine filled the valley that morning, beaming down on the residents of Toize as they walked the dusty streets. Headed either to or from the tunnel near the back of the village everyone seemed busy, bustling by Sam as he left the inn. Now that he thought about it, he had no idea where the others had gone, and was left to stand beneath the veranda and look around the immediate area with a dumb stare. All the buildings looked pretty much the same, built out of wood with slate roofs and low fences. There wasn't a single face he recognised.

"Sam!" But that was a voice he knew. Confused, he narrowed his eyes as he looked around the thinning crowds again, before a hand caught his right arm and made him jump. Claudia was stood next to him, and gave him a puzzled look before gesturing over her shoulder with a jab of her thumb. "There's more than just that road, you know. We're back here."

Guided around the corner of the building he was lead down a second street, where more identical buildings greeted him with cheerful signs: there was a general store, a weapon smith, and an armoury, but each one was equally small. He happened to glance through the window of the weapon shop, two or three rows of sharpened blades on a rack inside displaying what the owner had on offer, but he was dragged by towards the third building by his friend in her impatient rush.

Waiting inside were Kratos and Valanoir, the latter of which was tying up a simple leather shirt which she'd pulled on over her halter neck top. Waiting nearby was whom Sam assumed to be the owner, a young man holding two other shirts and a fur cloak over his arm as he looked Valanoir up and down.

"How does it fit? Better than the other two?" he asked, and once she'd fastened them to her liking she lifted her arms and twisted her body.

"Yeah! Move better!" she replied, before tugging on the short sleeves. "These got to go, though."

"No problem!" She removed it and handed it back, before taking hold of Sam's hand and pulling him forward. "Your turn, Samwam!"

"Eh?" Confused, he stared at the shop owner as he casually discarded the items he had over his arm in a pile already on the floor, and placing Valanoir's final choice on the counter before turning back to him with a fire in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

"Now, let's see what I have for you!" His hands were against the half elf's chest not a moment later, and it was only when it trailed down that Sam realised the young man was holding a tape measure. Next was his collar, then chest, arm, back, and then finally around his middle. Finally satisfied, the shop owner dashed through a doorway at the back of the shop, remerging a few moments later with an armful of different garments. "As a magic user I'm sure you don't want to be wearing something heavy, especially not in this weather!" he explained, looking over two thick leather shirts with a harsh gaze before throwing them over his shoulder without a second thought. "But your build suggests you do more than just stand around, waving your arms and mumbling magic words... Ah, how about this?"

He held up a simple white cloak, decorated down the front with shining threads. "Durable cloth, inlaid with amber for increased defence against elemental attacks. Came from Moria only last week!"

Pulling it on over his shirt and waistcoat he fastened the clips at the front to the appropriate measurement, and straightened it out as he checked it over.

"Nice...!" It just passed his hips, meaning his firearms were still accessibly, and the loose sleeves were easy to roll up. The fit was near perfect for him, a little loose in some places for ease of movement.

"I think we have a winner!" said the owner, grinning as he abandoned the last two cloaks on the pile with the rest of the unwanted items. "What a relief! You've been much easier to work with than your two female friends."

"Hey, I find it offensive that you only have leather corsets for big chicks," Claudia was quick to argue, and the man pursed his lips at her comment as he worked on removing the sleeves from Valanoir's choice of shirt.

"Ladies of your... _generous _proportions are usually fighters that prefer armour without unnecessary frills or over shirts," he was quick to shoot back, before his attention was on Kratos as he stepped forward. "Will that be all?"

Kratos handed over a large amount of gald to the man, now wearing a long swallow tail cloak made of similar material to his shirt over his shoulders. The owner seemed thrilled as his cash register opened with a shrill ring, and Claudia picked up her two items from the counter as he finished up the hems of Valanoir's shirt. Once it was done he handed it to her with a grin, which she returned with a pleased one of her own as she pulled it back on.


	16. Big Bugs and Deep Water

Wow, after that long delay I can finally put this up! I have been distracted in all the myriad ways, and to top it all off the internet on my computer suddenly decided to up and quit. Still, my dad's computer is free since he's out for the day, so FICTIONING CAN COMMENCE! Hope you guys enjoy, and that you're all enjoying Easter! Even if you don't celebrate it!

Yeah, I don't know: I'm trying to be diverse and not offend anyone, but I refuse to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS! That's just so American. Not that I have anything against them either! Ah, when you're in a hole, stop digging...

By the by, all your reviews have been lovely to read! I do my best to reply, and to give good, informative replies at that, too. Anyway, onwards and upwards!

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Big Bugs and Deep Water<strong>

"'Four days' you said. I can't believe I_ believed_you...!" Struggling up the latest hill Claudia was out of breath already. They'd been walking for two hours straight, under harsh mid-morning sun no less, and it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere fast. Surrounded by mountains, trees and sprawling fields everywhere just looked the same to her, and a week of seeing the same scenery was a spirit breaker for anyone. Even Valanoir seemed to have lost all vigour and spirit: walking alongside Sam they were trying to keep each other going, arm in arm as they forced one foot in front of the other. By himself Sam looked ready to drop, his cheeks flushed.

Almost a week they'd been walking since jumping from the boat, their brief stop in Toize the only contact they'd had with civilisation before venturing into what seemed to be the never ending wilderness. They were starting to run low on food; what was left being rationed between them as much as possible. There was no denying the fact that there'd be nothing left by tonight if they didn't get to Heimdall.

Paired with their awkward sleeping habits, Claudia was surprised Kratos didn't look worse. They were forcing themselves to sleep once it was dark and rising with the sun, something that wore them down even more with the constant, unchanging scenery. He'd been getting much less sleep than them, offering to do at least one shift of night watch every evening, and didn't seem to be affected by the few rations he'd been given. The strain barely showed as he tore through another horde of giant mantis and killer bees, before continuing across the fields at a steady pace like nothing had happened.

Still, he was keeping to his word: protecting them until they were at Flanoir. But she still couldn't believe they were on their way to Heimdall. The village of the elves, said to only allow access to those with permission from the King himself, surrounded by Ymir Forest... From what she'd heard from her History teacher at school, half elves weren't allowed in at all before Lloyd the Great and the Last Chosen saved the world. Did they let them in now...?

"Man, my parents are going to be pissed..." Sam groaned suddenly, running his hands through his hair in exasperation that made Valanoir chuckle. "We were supposed to be back ages ago! I only took a week off work to go to Luin...!"

"Where you work?" Perking up slightly now that a conversation had started, Valanoir gave him a gentle nudge, hoisting her bag a little higher onto her shoulder. Since most of her belongings had been left on the boat she'd bought a few new things from Toize, including a spare set of clothes and a notebook of her own.

"Ah, I worked in my uncle's garage."

"If he your uncle, why don't he give you more time off?"

"Because he's the only one there right now. I cleared up all the work I could before I left, but there's probably a bunch of people waiting for repairs and stuff..." he mumbled despondently, running his hands over his grubby face. "I completely forgot...!"

"I'm more worried about what my parents are going to say. I took two weeks off, so I'm alright at the shop." Wiping damp hair from her sweaty brow Claudia heaved a sigh, shaking her head softly. "It's not that I'm gone so much as the fact that I've not called that'll get me in trouble. If they knew I was this far south I don't think they'd believe me."

Stopping at the crest of the hill Kratos was looking over his map again, waiting for them to arrive at his side with incredible patience. He always seemed to be waiting for them. One by one they climbed up next to him, and stared across the forest spreading infectiously across the plains at their feet, surrounded by distant waters in each direction. Near the centre was the occasional glimmer, hinting at a lake or a river somewhere beneath the leaves, which was what Kratos was watching intently.

"That's Ymir, right?" Sam was stood next to him, gazing out across the landscape sprawled like a fuzzy green mat at their feet. Not far to their right a river was gushing by in a rocky rapid down into the forest, following the cracks and ravines from an enormous mountain towering behind them. Squinting hard in the harsh sunlight Claudia could see reds and purples dotted amongst spider webs of green vines up on the cliff walls, wriggling and writhing, and she was glad they were headed in the opposite direction.

"If we follow the river we should make it to the inner forest by early evening at the latest," Kratos replied with a nod at the half elf's question, before looking around them all as if he were making sure they were all still there. This news alone was enough to cheer Claudia up, and as she pulled forward her bag she caught a glimpse of relieved smiles from her younger companions.

"Thank the goddess, 'cause we're running low on everything: gels, bottles- you name it. I'm on my last pencil, too."

* * *

><p>Down between the trees all traces of the ocean winds had vanished. The further they walked the thicker the air became: not even the river could help as it rushed down its path between the trees, since the canopy still stretched across the gap regardless. Single file between the trees Kratos was leading once again, with Valanoir and Sam close behind, and Claudia bringing up the rear as usual. The sudden humidity had been a hard hit, and their pace started dragging more and more; though cooler than the harsh sunlight, the heavy air pressed against the skin and made the shade useless.<p>

The riverbanks loosened into thick mud, where there was a never ending swarm of bugs out for blood. Cutting down another killer bee Claudia tugged at her leather armour, the guard around her middle buckled shut over her usual outfit making the heat even more unbearable. The short sleeves over her upper arms didn't help either, but she didn't dare tug them off now that the forest seemed to be sending all of its defences after them.

"Find any stingers?" asked Valanoir, already knelt beside the corpse of the other three bees that had attacked and picking at their abdomens. A little put off by the green they were oozing Claudia did the same, and turned the dead insect over with the tip of her sword.

"Uh... yeah." Her simple reply didn't suffice, and Valanoir watched and waited with a smile as Claudia grimaced. "You just... want me to tug right off, don't you?"

"Yeah! Stingers good: sell high!" She held one up to show to Claudia as they picked at two insect corpses whilst Sam was crouched behind them, gently prodding an oozing abdomen with a gloved finger. His gaze was vacant and distant as he stared through its translucent wings.

"Aren't they dangerous?" asked the eldest, and Valanoir nodded enthusiastically.

"Very sharp, and very hard. Good for weapons."

"We won't make it halfway through if you stop to investigate every creature you strike down." Looking up at Kratos when he scolded them they apologised profusely, carefully tucking the talons and wings into their bags before stepping over them. Realising that Sam hadn't followed, Valanoir gave him a puzzled once over before returning to his side.

"You alright?" she asked, placing a hand against his shoulder. As if stirring from a doze he focused on her, and stood up with a mumbled apology.

"Sam?" The suspicion in her voice was clear, and as Claudia gave the half elf a hard stare he raised his hands in defence with a smile.

"Ah, I'm fine! Just... tired."

"Then I suggest we carry on. It shouldn't take long to get to Heimdall from here," Kratos reminded them swiftly, though as he and Valanoir set off again Claudia kept a wary eye on the half elf who remained, running his hands over his face and wiping his sweaty brow with his forearm. Other than being a little red in the face he seemed tired, just as he'd said, but ever since Toize he seemed to be lacking in energy in more ways than one. It probably didn't help that he still had no weapon: by the time they'd bought armour they had almost no gald left (the man at the shop had been kind enough to give a bit of a discount on account of how much they'd bought). Still, he was aware enough to join in conversation, and hadn't asked to rest any more than usual; she'd keep an eye on him regardless.

The more they walked, the thicker the mud was, until eventually they were forced onto a number of wooden walkways that stretched like arms between the trees, which were fewer and further apart the deeper they went. The canopy was just as thick as ever, colouring the forest with a green haze between the branches and the ground, cut only by shifting streaks of golden sunshine when they managed to pass between the leaves. Mud turned to water, a great jade mirror reflecting the trees and extending the woodland beneath their feet. Only by squinting hard and looking into the darker shadows could the bottom be seen, distant and rocky but easy to make out in the crystal clear water.

They were headed towards an island that housed a tree, an old stump, and an even older stone pedestal, all three of which were covered in moss, and guarded by two elves dressed in armour. When they saw them approaching they stood to attention and blocked the path, and whilst Claudia, Sam and Valanoir were hesitant to approach Kratos continued, unbothered by their particularly anti-social behaviour.

"No entry to the Forest of Ymir without permission from the King." Though not harsh, their warning was enough to make the three younger members of the group want to turn tail and flee, but Kratos was steadfast. The shorter of the two guards was staring at him long and hard, and before Kratos could say anything recognition illuminated his features.

"Kratos Aurion!" he said suddenly, and when the auburn haired man nodded both stepped aside, ignoring the three younger members as they stared stupidly at their older companion. "The Elder has been expecting you since your arrival!"

Expecting him? Kratos knew the Elven Elder? More than that, he knew him well enough to be allowed into Heimdall without so much as a question asked? Watching him closely he even seemed to expect this reaction, and nodded a second time before looking back at them, gesturing for them to head into the forest. Before Claudia could form a coherent sentence Valanoir had caught her hand, leading both her and Sam past the two guards with a polite smile. Claudia managed a nervous one of her own but quickly looked away: both guards were staring them down with harsh suspicion.

"Oh, and be careful: the beast in the lake has been growing more vicious over passing weeks. I'd advise taking the higher paths." It was more an off-hand comment than anything, tossed over his shoulder in a carefree manner, but the shorter elf's words still made Sam and Claudia cast each other a wary glance.

"Uh... what did they mean by that?" Cupping a hand around his mouth Sam leant closer to Claudia as he whispered this, but when all she could do was shrug in reply he cast a worried glance over his shoulder. "Hey Kratos...?"

The mercenary, who was surveying the paths they could see from the little island, turned his attention to the young half elf when he mumbled his name. Sam was scratching his arm again. He'd been doing it so often, the bandage had started fraying, but as he looked around as well he seemed ignorant of what his hand was doing. "What did they mean by 'beast'?"

"A creature residing in the water, most likely."

"Haha, very funny," Claudia replied flatly, stepping up beside Sam with her arms folded. When she spotted the half elf scratching his bandaged arm she batted his hand away with a reprimanding shake of her head. "You've obviously been here before: what is it?" In any other situation she would've laughed at his dry humour, which didn't show itself very often, but the word beast kept flashing brightly in white fire in her mind.

"I don't know," came Kratos' awfully wary answer, his voice low as he searched the water. Claudia did the same, but all she could see were empty shadows and the distant lake bed half hidden underneath. Not a single fish or insect broke the surface: her concerned expression was reflected almost perfectly back at her.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? Haven't you been here before?" she asked instead, unwittingly stepping closer to him just like Sam and Valanoir were doing. If Kratos, the man who'd been here before enough times to be recognised by the guards at the entrance, didn't know what this 'beast' was, then what hope did they have of defending themselves?

"Not for a few years."

"Then... what're we supposed to do?" mumbled Sam, linking his arm with Claudia's as he peered nervously around the forest.

"Don't worry Samwam!" Standing at his other side Valanoir took hold of his gloved hand, and as always she smiled brightly at all three. "We be fine! We look after you, won't we Claudie?"

Staring a little blankly at the mention of her name Claudia was trapped beneath the gaze of both younger teens, feeling a little unsure as to how she should reply. There were no definites... But Sam looked so helpless. She sighed softly and took his hand.

"We'll be alright." Looking from one to another, he hung his head with a groan.

"You're making me feel like a toddler...!"

Ymir Forest wasn't so much a forest than a lake. An enormous lake, with a number of small islands connected by wooden paths, and large trees sprouting from the reflective surface of the crystal clear water. It was incredibly still, creating another leafy canopy beneath its surface and making the forest go on forever in each direction. The vast empty space between the water and the branches above meant the web of walkways were visible for a distance, suspended in the wash of greens and occasionally illuminated by a ray of light that poked through as the trees swayed, broken only by coloured petals hidden amongst the leaves.

As the guard had advised they stuck to the upper paths, but as Claudia looked around she realised they didn't have much of a choice: there were no bridges lower down. There were one or two planks here and there, but nothing to suggest a bridge had ever been in place across the water. And because of the lack of alternate paths, they were turning back on themselves a lot. She could see the rickety old walkway they'd passed over ten minutes ago only a few yards away through the branches...

"How far is Heimdall?" she decided to ask: they'd been walking in silence for a while now, and with all the buzzing bugs and rustling branches it was a little unnerving. Kratos looked around as well, his eyes drawn to the deeper area of the forest ahead of them.

"Not long. It's only a short walk from the lake edge."

"You from Heimdall, Kratos?" Hands clasped behind her back Valanoir sidled up to the mercenary with curiosity in her voice. She was a head and a half shorter than Kratos, despite being younger than Claudia. He shook his head, and she pressed an inquisitive finger to her chin. "Then... how you know the elves?"

"I've been here many times before."

"But then how don't you know 'bout beastie?"

"As I said, I haven't been for a few years."

The path lowered to another little island, with either an upper walkway or a bridge across the water to continue. The lake edge was only a few bridges away, but Kratos was suddenly hesitant, standing at the start of the lower planks and watching the water's surface carefully. They'd been told to avoid the bottom paths, and that's what they'd done religiously up to this point, but taking the top route would lead them in the opposite direction of the shore. There hadn't been any sign of a 'beast' in the water either, only the monsters on the bridges defending their territory. Kratos seemed at odds, debating whether they should cross the bridge or not, and as she sat down amongst the roots of a nearby tree Claudia didn't blame him. Those elves had said to stick to the higher paths... But it was starting to get dark, and they were all exhausted. Between trekking across the continent and fighting all manner of creatures on an empty stomach, they could all do with a rest. How Kratos didn't look worse was still a mystery.

Maybe it'd be safe... It was only one bridge anyway. But if she was wrong, she didn't want to be on the receiving end of any kind of retribution.

Not a moment later, Sam collapsed with a sigh beside her, leaning against her arm as he wiped his hair from his red face again.

"How much further...?" he mumbled, eyes shut to the world around him. Even through their armour she could feel how hot he was, which wasn't particularly nice in this weather.

Kratos was staring out towards the denser trees on the shore with a frown. "Not much, but-"

"C'mon, can't stop now!" Dismissing Valanoir and her positive attitude with a lazy wave of her hand, Claudia tugged off her gloves and ran her hands over her face with an exhausted sigh.

"Yes I can, and I have. My feet are holding my nervous system for ransom, and I think I'm going to give in to their demands." Kratos shook his head at her comment, and started across the bridge without them. She knew they shouldn't stop, and with a groan she clambered to her feet again and brushed herself off. "Come on Sam..." She couldn't wait to get there though, and curl up in a bed after a bath. The hot water and fluffy blankets were already calling for her.

But Sam seemed to be asleep already, falling further and further now that Claudia's supporting shoulder had moved. "Sam, c'mon. We can sleep when we get there." Kneeling down in front of him she placed a hand against his shoulder to rouse him, but he slumped to the ground before she could do any such thing. "Sam?"

A tremendous roar filled the forest behind her, and she turned to find water exploding into the air with terrifying force. The bridge disintegrated, planks flying in all directions like scattered coins and clattering onto the ground around their little island, whilst a long black and white body sailed through the spray and quickly vanished back into the turbulent depths. Standing on what remained of the walkway Kratos was drenched, but quickly turned tail and sprinted across to the next island when the surface was shattered- this time with a piercing shriek- and the black and white beast tore through the bridge again, wrapping around it and crushing it like a twig with little trouble.

"What the hell was that?" Claudia exclaimed, watching as Valanoir rushed as close to the edge of the island as she would dare. She cast a wary look at the rippling surface, then at Kratos across the way, who was wiping dripping wet hair from his eyes.

"You alright Kratos?" she called, a hand cupped around her mouth. He nodded, squeezing what he could out of his cloak as well.

"I'll look for another way around. If it comes back, get further up."

"It's not like we can go anywhere! Sam's out cold- well, hot, but-"

"What?" Standing up, Claudia mimicked Valanoir and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"He's got a FEVER!"

"Be careful! We look after Sam!" Valanoir yelled again, waving in farewell as Kratos headed up another pathway. Sitting down again Claudia ran her hands through her hair with a tired sigh, rubbing her eyes.

"Do we have enough drinking water?"

"Yeah..." Taking the bottle from Valanoir outstretched hand Claudia mumbled her thanks, looking down at the unconscious teen at her side. Face still flushed, his breathing had become a little shorter, an expression of obvious discomfort on his features as he lay with his head resting on his folded up jacket. Shaking her head softly she managed a sad smile, turning over the damp cloth they'd placed on his forehead.

"Why didn't I see this happening...?"

Sitting down beside her Valanoir gave her a gentle nudge. "Is alright, Claudia. He'll be better soon."

"Poor baby... I'm supposed to be looking after you." She petted his head, before letting out another dejected sigh. "I'm a terrible babysitter."

"Babysitter?" came Valanoir's bemused reply, earning a quiet chuckle from her elder.

"Well, I haven't been for a while. But I used to, when my sister was too busy. My brother never tried because he wasn't really close with Sam, but when Tabitha got her first full time job I took on babysitting duties."

"How long you known Sam?"

"Since he was about five and I was ten. They moved to Flanoir when he was younger, but we didn't know each other until our parents offered to look after him while they were working." She managed another small laugh. "I remember the first time they left him at our house: he was crying so much, and he wouldn't let us leave him alone at all. He was terrified of the dark: whatever the reason, it's stuck with him. He still comes into my room sometimes..."

They didn't notice he'd opened his eyes until he sat up, which surprised them both to no end as he looked around.

"Sam, you alright? You passed out a few minutes ago- hey!" He cut across Claudia as he struggled to his feet, the cloth abandoned and falling to the floor as he headed for the edge of the water, looking about the canopy like he was looking for something. "Sam, get back from there! It's dangerous!"

Regardless of her own warning Claudia was soon stood next to him with his bag and jacket in hand, Valanoir at his other side, and they were both trying to spot whatever it was that had caught his attention. His gaze fell to the water, and after scanning the surface his attention was drawn to something in the more open waters.

"What...?" mumbled Valanoir, both her and Claudia's eyes following his, until... "Is a... box?"

Hidden deep beneath the surface was something white, surrounded by green rocks and marred with slime in its patterned grooves. But it was definitely, as Valanoir had pointed out, a box, its flat white top obvious against the dark bed of the lake around it. It was intriguing, but as Sam looked around it again it was clear this wasn't what had caught his attention. He was looking through the water and up in the canopy, getting more and more flustered.

"What's wrong?" Claudia asked again, noticing his weary distress, though it wasn't that hard to spot. Even through his fever something was bothering him enough to worry him.

"There's... something coming. I-I want to say... a half elf, but... i-it's not... My head's too stuffed up to tell..." His eyes left the trees and scoured the water again. "And something else... in the water..."

"In the...?" Fixing each other with worried stares Claudia and Valanoir quickly caught Sam by the arms and pulled him back, much to his confusion.

"Is it coming back...?" Valanoir kept her voice hushed as she huddled closer to her companions, and as Claudia looked around again she spotted the path into the trees.

"Let's head back up, before it gets here-"

"What's going on?" Sam's question went ignored as he was ushered towards the ramp, but it was quickly answered regardless.

An eruption from the lake drenched them, washing across their little island with such sudden force it almost swept them into the water on the other side. Valanoir and Claudia leaped before him, the brunette with her weapon drawn as the half demon readied herself, but the creature before them was no ordinary beast.

Its long, lithe body, coated in glistening black and white scales, was coiled around them in a stranglehold: as it squeezed, the earth beneath their feet began to crumble. Down the length of its back ran a spiked dorsal fin, from its head to the tip of its tail, which quivered as it let out a threatening, screech-like hiss, and wide wing-like fins hung down like wet curtains either side of its dripping jaws. It had three sets of teeth, it seemed, which it wasn't afraid to bare as it looked from one to another trapped before it with glowing amber eyes. But it was already covered in open injuries: they weren't deep, but enough to bleed, and already some of them were healing up. Its two opponents stared back dumbly, still dripping wet from its 'entrance'.

"What the f-"

"Get off the island!" They looked back at Sam when he cut across Claudia, and watched as he stumbled to his feet with bag in hand. The ground gave another lurch, and a large chunk fell into the water with a splash, but when they moved to follow Sam the snake-like beast quickly cut them off. Moving its head around it blocked the path, and started advancing hungrily.

"Great: just when we're by ourselves!" Lunging forward Claudia struck it across the nose with a wide slash, and it recoiled with a frustrated screech before Valanoir rushed forward and sprang deftly onto its head. Taking advantage of the distraction Claudia helped Sam up onto the walkway. "Get to the other island!"

"But Claudia-"

"Don't ask questions: just go!" she ordered, and quickly rushed back to help Valanoir.

The young part-gorgon was doing her best to hold on to the beast's head, but its scales were smooth and it was flailing wildly. If she wasn't careful she'd be flung off somewhere far into the forest, and that would hurt...

"Valanoir!" Down below Claudia had returned. Raising her blade she plunged it as deep as she could into the creature's underbelly. Streams of red ran down into the water and the beast flinched long enough for Valanoir to jump off again, and she landed deftly beside Claudia looking a little dizzy but otherwise no worse for wear.

There was no time to think: the creature lunged for Claudia, who'd pulled her sword out only moments earlier, and with a flick of her wrist she swiped it across the snout a second time with her whip. Undeterred it quickly snapped again, only to be met with Valanoir's foot as she thrust it squarely against its nose. Another two kicks and she'd slammed its head against the ground, but before she could move back in time it caught her leg between its front set of teeth. Claudia quickly struck it again and forced it to release her hardly a moment later, but the damage had been done. Her trouser leg was torn, two separate rows of fang marks already bleeding and turning her usually caramel-coloured skin a dark, golden red. When she tired to stand her leg gave out almost instantly, and when the creature aimed to strike again Claudia quickly fended it off.

"Go look after Sam: I'll try and distract it!"

"Na, Claudia! Too dangerous!" She kept a firm hold on the brunette's arm, and tried to pull her back towards the tree and the walkway. "We find Kratos! He help! We can't fight!" It followed them across the crumbling spit of land, ignoring every hit Claudia dealt to its already severely bleeding snout, until it was once again between them and the path up into the branches. The whip lashed out again, but was caught in its jaws and plucked from her hands like a dying flower, hanging from the off-white teeth until the beast spat it out on the opposite side of the island. They stood defiantly at the edge, Claudia holding a protective arm before Valanoir as they both stared the beast down, but it was hopeless. It hissed in victory, the wounds along its snout almost gone completely, and lunged a final time.

"**_First Aid_**!" There was a brief flash, and not a second later Valanoir had ducked out from beneath Claudia's arm and swung her heel hard into the side of the beast's head, sending it crashing to the floor and careening back into the water with a ferocious splash. Confused, Valanoir checked her leg, but Claudia was already running to the walkway.

"Sam!" Standing uneasily at the top he was surrounded by a glowing circle, mumbling words under his breath that Claudia couldn't hear over the sound of her thumping footfalls against the wood.

Down below Valanoir watched as the beast righted itself again and shook its head vigorously to clear it, but as she readied herself once again there was another flash of light.

"Sam-_ No_!" A flourish of white light circled the half elf, before he extended his arm towards the beast towering over Valanoir.

"**_Photon_**!"

An enormous, writhing ball of light engulfed the beast's head, growing at an alarming rate that forced Valanoir to scramble back to join them on the walkway, but vanished with a snap like lightning and caused the serpent to reel and crash back into the water. Out of breath and clutching his arms Sam dropped to his knees, shoulders heaving as his features twisted with pain.

"Sam!" Now that the light had disappeared Claudia finally arrived at his side, on her knees like him in no time as she grasped his shoulders tightly, the anger clear in her eyes as she shook him gently. "You idiot! What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you do that?"

"I-I'm not an idiot...!" he managed to gasp, looking from her to Valanoir as the pink haired girl came up to join them. "You were... in trouble, Claude!"

He was shaking beneath her hands, arms clasped tightly to his chest as it heaved with harsh breaths. The way he was looking up at her in hopeless determination she knew he meant right, but his valiant gesture was clearly taking its toll, his hands shuddering as he winced in pain. Hanging her head she nodded sadly, pulling him closer in an apologetic embrace.

"I'm sorry, Sam..."

"Claude...!"

"Oh, sorry!" She quickly let go of him when he started squirming, but instead of the childish whine of complaint she was expecting Sam turned to look back up the path, so she did the same.

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><p>My sister sent me a text asking 'what happens next?', then ribbed that she'd finished it when I explained and that she wanted to read more. I think my cliffhanger worked, though if it didn't LET ME KNOW! Let me know if it did, too: I love hearing from you guys!<p>

Oh, and I should apologize: I said it would be a Kratos chapter, and it wasn't... It's hard to do anything at the moment, so I'm not making any more promises! Unless there are any in the above notes.


	17. Snap Your Fingers

Okay, after much trial, error, and begging, it's _finally_ here. The trial and error was with the fight scene. The begging was when I was getting the file back from my sister.

ANYWAY. Enjoy. I don't know about editing. It's, like, eleven o'clock here and I have work tomorrow morning. This was a stupid idea. Stupid brain. Smartmaking should be done at better hours...!

Edit: I added 'elf' somewhere further down, and also this is the ideal moment to say that I have a map uploaded. If you go to my profile, you can find a link to it there. Happy trails!

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Snap Your Fingers<strong>

Standing at the end of the walkway was a figure in a pale blue battle shirt lined with gold. Hanging low off his shoulders was a similarly styled cloak in green, fastened beneath his collarbone on both sides by two simple golden broaches, and falling in a wide two point style to behind his knees. Separate from the cloak but attached by the same two broaches was a long, pointed hood, and from underneath fell locks of molten silver. His boots were over the knee and fastened by buckles around his mid- to lower-thigh, made from brown leather and reinforced with an additional layer down the front. Strapped to his lower legs was a pair of strange shin guards, made of a variety of materials and sporting a scaly brown fin on each outer side.

Bright blue eyes stared them down, an amused smirk alight on his pale features as he looked from one to another. Stepping before Sam, Claudia reached for her sword. When her hand met thin air she blanched, realising she'd left it down below where the serpent had pulled it from her grasp earlier. Well, hopefully he wasn't looking for a fight.

"Anything we can do for you?" Valanoir stepped up instead to fill the pressing silence, smiling politely in greeting, but his grin turned devious. Not a word passed his lips, and Valanoir exchanged a wary glance with Claudia, who shrugged with a bemused hum.

"Uh... hello?" A little more sarcastic than originally intended, the eldest of the three waved a flimsy hand, before looking at her companions again. "I don't think we'll get a reply-"

"Claudia!" Valanoir slapped her arm and pointed to the nameless figure in distress, and when Claudia looked back she realised he'd raised his arms into a fighting stance, with one foot forward.

"W-what? What are you doing?" exclaimed Claudia, feeling bare without her weapon at hand.

He leapt forward with lightning speed. A kick had been aimed for Claudia's head, which she only thought of defending against when someone else already had. Valanoir had jumped in front of her and stopped the hit with her arm. It was still barely inches from making contact, and the half demon was having difficulty keeping it back any further. She pushed him back and tried a few strikes of her own: two punches to his chest and a roundhouse kick to the arm similar to the one he'd just attempted. But each one was blocked, brushed aside like they were nothing. A frustrated growl made its way from her throat as she bared her little fangs. She tried another three punches with little success, before her arm was caught in a vice-like grip. Yanked off balance she was hit hard in the gut, and hoisted like a sack of rocks over his shoulder.

The only warning he had for another attack from behind was an angry yell. He swept Claudia's fist away as easily as a drunken flail, catching her arm and twisting it up her back. Forcing her to her knees he aimed to knock her out, but the third member of the small group had leapt to his feet and was charging uneasily across the walkway. Claudia fell to the ground when she was released and Sam barrelled by, but instead of being caught like his companions the nameless opponent stepped out of the way. Sam fell past with a helpless grunt. The man seemed a little dumbfounded, but not distracted enough to be caught off guard by Valanoir. Vaulting over her fallen friend she aimed a kick at the man's chest.

Claudia was shoved against the wooden planks as the stranger's hands were slammed into her back. Above her, Valanoir was caught by a foot against her sternum and thrown over them both. Their nameless attacker landed perfectly after a quick back flip as she was thrown against the trunk of a tree at the end of the walkway. The resulting collision was enough to shake a few leaves loose, and left her falling to the floor with a groan.

The cloaked man was facing Sam and Claudia again, the latter of which was helping her friend off the floor, keeping a harsh glare on their attacker. He was _still _smirking.

"...Damn it all!" She tried another punch, springing to her feet with an angry yell as she aimed for his face a second time. Caught just as easily as before she had no chance to use the other fist: thrusting his open palm against her stomach a surge of green sparks escaped from the point of contact between his fingers. In a heartbeat a cutting wind threw her back against Sam in a fierce funnel of energy. The twisting gale carried them in a horizontal spiral of air all the way to the other side of the walkway, where another tree stopped them from going any further. Bark flew in all directions upon collision, and with a pained moan Claudia lifted herself up and rubbed her aching back. With a gasp she quickly grabbed Sam by the arm and hoisted him out of the way.

Ducking behind the trunk they cowered as a jet of water peeled away another layer of the tree without mercy.

"What's this guy's problem?" seethed Claudia, not daring to peek from the safety of their hiding place.

"How's he using magic like that?" Sam gasped in a small voice, clinging helplessly to his friend's arm as she stared back dumbly.

"What... w-what do you mean?"

"You need to concentrate... focus mana, to use spells and actually make something from it. But he's not even bringing up a circle...!"

"Wait-where's Vala?"

"_**Oi!**_" There was a yell from down below. Poking their heads around the trunk they found Valanoir down on the half crumbled island again, the abandoned whip blade in hand as she stared down the hooded assailant with hellish determination. She pointed to the ground with authority, flicking the whip back into a single blade.

"Fight someone with challenge, yeah?"

"She can't fight with that!" hissed Claudia, before looking at Sam with a frown. "... Can she?"

Regardless, their attacker jumped down from the walkway and landed opposite Valanoir, feather light on his feet and in his starting stance again. They stared each other down...

... And the cloaked man moved first. With an incredible burst of speed he unleashed a flurry of kicks, armoured shin guards clanging harshly against the sword. Three spins followed by an upward crescent kick he landed a few yards back. Valanoir finally took a chance and struck back. With elegant steps she led with a swipe of the sword and followed fluidly with a sweeping roundhouse to his ankles, which he hopped back to avoid as easily as the rest. But as she rose Valanoir swung the sword again- not at him, but over his head. It flew through the air and landed with a clatter on the wooden walkway, skidding across the planks and almost dropping off the other side when Claudia grabbed it by the handle. Jumping down from the walkway she landed crouched before the unnamed man, and stood up with her sword raised.

"Why are you attacking us?" He looked from one to another: despite being surrounded he looked no worse for wear - the smirk gone from his face made him look a little bored. But still he didn't reply.

With an upward kick he had Valanoir in the air, and after three fierce hits he sent her crashing to the ground again. Claudia aimed to slice his head, but he quickly stopped it with his foot and set her flying back with another Air Blade attack. On her feet again Valanoir tried to rush him as his back was turned, but with a wide sweep of his arm a spout of water threw her into the branches above. When Claudia regained her footing she approached him again, using her whip to try and strike him as she kept her distance.

It didn't work as well as she'd hoped: lifting his hand in a sharp upward motion a spire of dark stone shot up in front of him, and the whip scratched pathetically against it before another four surrounded Claudia. Trapped, she waited helplessly for whatever spell he had next, but the hooded man was thankfully distracted when Valanoir bombed him from above. The rocks vanished back into the earth as he defended himself, but with the advantage of height Valanoir managed two solid hits to his chest. Landing back on the ground she struck him hard enough beneath his chin to launch him. He was thrown towards the water. Both girls stood side by side on the shore, ready to continue if he managed to crawl back out.

But their victory was short lived. The still waters churned and rose up in a wave, and instantly froze in an enormous curve. A simple flip and he'd righted himself, landing on the ice and sliding across as naturally as if he'd been walking, heading for the upper walkway in an elegant glide. The wave melted as he leapt onto the path, where Sam had been watching as he knelt near the edge. Backing away as best he could he stared fearfully up into cerulean blue eyes, his friends' desperate yells lost in the background as the assailant loomed.

The man suddenly looked up and jumped out of the way as a white and blue broadsword cut through the leaves, wielded by none other than Kratos. Landing before Sam he drove the cloaked man back: his strikes were quick, merciless. In no time at all he had the attacker pinned against the trunk of one of the trees.

"Where the _hell _did you come from?" yelled Claudia, but Kratos was more interested in the hooded man, looking closely at his face. If he weren't so young, he could've easily been-

Another spout of water struck Kratos from the side and knocked him off the path, distracting everyone as the cloaked man leapt up and vanished between the branches.

"Kratos!" Valanoir and Claudia were either side of him in seconds, and he wiped wet hair from his face as he sat up. "You alright?" the younger of the two asked, voice full of concern, and he nodded as he stood up.

"It took me by surprise more than anything..." he mumbled in reply, his gaze drawn up into the branches. Sam was staring vacantly through the leaves as well, looking confused more than anything, before sighing in fatigue.

"I think he's gone..."

"Geez, what was his problem? He came out of nowhere...!" Claudia grumbled begrudgingly, sliding her sword back into its scabbard with a shaking hand before bringing it gingerly to her shoulder. "And he was _relentless_...! Was he trying to kill us?"

"Seems like it..." mumbled Valanoir, arms around her middle as she winced. "Hurtin' bad now..."

"Same here. It's getting really late, too." Claudia looked to Kratos instead, who was still watching the canopy in uncertainty. "How much further to Heimdall?"

"There's a place a little further back where we can climb across the branches..."

"Kratos?"

He finally focused on them again, and found both girls watching him in concern. Casting one final look through the branches he eventually pointed across the water.

"It's not far from here. After that, Heimdall won't be far."

"Great. I could do with sleeping in a bed tonight." Claudia headed up the walkway towards Sam. "You sure picked a brilliant time to leave, Kratos. Everything went to hell the moment you disappeared!"

"First was a big snake beast: almost ate us all!" Valanoir explained to Kratos with an exaggerated sweep of her arm as they followed Claudia, who was arguing with an exhausted Sam and trying to get him to agree to a piggy back.

"I was attacked as well, but it made an escape when I managed to harm it."

"Ah: was wondering why it was already bleeding... But it healing too. Cuts started disappearing like we hadn't done anything! Lucky Sam used magic, though..."

Head hanging, the half elf she was speaking about clearly couldn't walk any further. It wasn't hard for Claudia to pull his arms around her shoulders, hands behind his knees before she lifted him off the ground.

"...Wasn't right. He said 'Photon', but more like big ball of light than a spell. Felt..." She was making motions with her hands like she was holding something round, and wiggled her fingers with a frown. "...Untidy. Out of control, yeah?"

"Yes... You can sense mana?" he asked, and with a proud smile she nodded.

"Yeah: magical being! All beings using mana can sense! Is why you can sense too, yeah? You use magic."

* * *

><p>"Geez, how much do you weigh? You sure you're not carrying rocks in your pockets or something?"<p>

"Don't worry Claudie, we here now!" Just as Valanoir said this the wooden arch appeared between the leafy branches, framing a population beyond and guarded by two elves in armour just like at the entrance of Ymir. Red faced, Claudia carried the half unconscious Sam down the worn dirt path, led on by Kratos and encouraged by Valanoir. It had been a gruelling hour walking with horribly aching bodies, always fearful of the serpent lurking below, but with no other choice other than to continue they forced themselves onwards. Twilight had descended and the forest was quickly turning black.

Approaching the guards just as stony-faced as the last two, Kratos was quick to strike up a conversation- or rather, they were eager to speak with him- and in a heartbeat they were crossing the threshold into Heimdall. Valanoir huddled closer to Claudia and Sam, while they all followed as close to Kratos as they dared. The town spread wide, filled with beautifully built wooden houses webbed with climbing ivy, and elves in elegant dress were out enjoying the evening air. Lamps lit the streets with flickering pools of warm light, enough to guide them in absence of the moon's glow.

"Why they all staring..?" There weren't many people out, but those that were watched the group of four pass by with uncertain expressions, which were obvious enough for Valanoir to point out in a small voice.

"It's not often they get anyone other than elven kind here," explained Kratos, but he had a hard time convincing himself. They didn't seem all that pleased with something.

Guiding them between the buildings he eventually stopped outside one raised on the bank of the river, a small set of steps leading up to a porch and door. Valanoir was handed a fistful of glad.

"Wait inside. I need to speak with the Elder."

"W-what? But-" Claudia started, but Kratos guided them towards the steps regardless of her complaints.

"The elves will help you with whatever you need. I'll be back later."

In three hundred years Heimdall hadn't changed much, only grown. It was as if it'd been frozen in time, ever since the war, and was the place Kratos felt the greatest familiarity towards. The landscapes may not have changed much, but seeing somewhere like Heimdall, a thriving civilisation and one of the few constants for four thousand years, was a comfort. He was back. Back on the planet he was born on, and had spent several hundred lifetimes doing his best to keep in order. It may not have been the _right_ order, but it had kept the world as a whole alive and surviving with what little it had, and kept the people living on it from destroying it with overdeveloped magitechnology all over again. For a planet learning to support itself again with such a meagre power source, it was doing well.

Guided by the guards outside the Torrent Forest he eventually found himself outside the Elder's house. Rebuilt long ago after the collapse of the Tower of Salvation it appeared to be a little bigger than before, raised from the ground with a little path disappearing beneath the porch and around the back. Approaching the door he rapped his knuckles against it, and waited.

"Who is it?" an elderly voice called from inside, before the door opened and revealed a hunched old elf standing inside. Bowing his head in respect Kratos managed a small smile: the Elder was the same elf, but his age was clearly showing as he gripped the staff that supported him in a brittle old hand.

He squinted up at Kratos with tired, yellowed eyes half hidden behind busy eyebrows, before recognition sparked in his wrinkled features.

"Kratos! I've been expecting you! Where have you been for the past three weeks?"

"I've been meaning to ask about that-" The Elder bustled him into the house, which was lit by a collection of candles around the room and a small fire in the grate.

"Come, come: I'm sure you have many questions." Offering a seat by the fire the old elf wandered towards the table, picking up a battered old kettle and two mugs. "Would you like a drink?"

"No thank you-"

"Suit yourself." Bringing one mug he soon had the kettle hung over the fire, and settled himself with a long, weary sigh in the seat opposite Kratos. "Now... to bring you up to speed.

"As you have most likely seen, Aselia is in a fierce stranglehold. These soldiers- the 'Eques Scientiae', as they call themselves- are running rampant, claiming to be upholding the law. The Vanguard was much easier to deal with than these fools..."

"Vanguard?" Yuan had mentioned them before, when Derris Kharlan was still close enough to allow communication, but he'd quickly been sidetracked when he found out they'd found Ratatosk and the Centurions. The Elder jabbed the fire with his staff, a small shower of embers trying in vain to escape from the stone grate with little success.

"Silly group. Fighting for the 'liberation of the Sylveranti', if I recall correctly. They turned up along with peculiar weather patterns, but that was only for a year or so. The Eques, on the other hand..." He shook his head gravely. "Run by the two Kings of Meltokio and Palmacosta, to uphold the law and prevent rebellion. When they were first introduced they did just that: kept civilians safe by catching thieves, cheaters and murderers. But over the past ten years they've started arresting everyone for the most mediocre of things and sending them to prisons set up in what I believe are old human ranches near Palmacosta, Luin, Meltokio and Sybak. Another has been built in the Triet desert, to put off escapes and any 'outside help'.

"Searching for escaped prisoners is their excuse to tear apart any town they see fit, and they have the power to do so granted by the kings themselves! But no one has the strength or influence to stand against them: everyone is in danger, especially those with the Decay."

"What do you know of the Decay?" Only the Eques had called it by that name before now. Thinking of the half elf lying unconscious at the inn Kratos enquired, perturbed by the Elder's solemn expression.

"Oh, it's a terrible thing..."

The kettle started whistling, and with his staff the Elder lifted it from the flames and brought it to himself to fill his mug.

"The Decay, named thusly for the way it rots the flesh, is an affliction that only takes those of elven blood. When the body fails to correctly process mana it overcompensates: the magic expelled is wild and without form, has no fixed power, and takes its toll on the physical body. With constant use of mana the Decay spreads through the system by poisoning the blood, slowly eating through vital organs until they deteriorate, and the victim dies."

"Is there any way to stop it?"

Brow creased with a frown the Elder looked confused.

"A half elf I'm accompanying to Flanoir is afflicted with it. He's passed out with a fever at the inn." The old elf was grey faced, running a thoughtful hand against his chin.

"How far along?"

"Only his right hand, as far as I'm aware."

"Hm..." hummed the Elder, before slowly rising to his feet. His joints creaked and he grunted, but was soon ambling towards the door. "I'm sure there's something we can do."

The inn was silent as the grave when they entered, the keeper behind the desk reading by candlelight, though when she saw who had come in through the door she bowed her head respectfully and greeted them in a quiet voice.

"They're in the second room," she informed them, pointing down the corridor. With a nod in thanks they made their way towards the corresponding door.

Inside, Sam was fast asleep on one of the beds, with Valanoir and Claudia sat beside him on chairs pulled up from the table on the far side of the room. When Kratos and the Elder entered they barely seemed to notice, until the Elder himself was stood opposite them and looking closely at the unconscious half elf.

"He's been asleep for about an hour and a half," mumbled Claudia, resting her head in her hands with a despondent sigh. "I changed his bandages for now, but he hasn't had any treated ones since we jumped off the boat. His fingers are really stiff- like twigs or something..."

"Is halfway to his elbow, now," Valanoir added as she gestured to where she meant on her own arm.

"Has it spread to anywhere else?" They gave the Elder a bemused shake of their heads, and with another grave 'hm' he lifted Sam's infected arm. "Have you checked? To have reached this far in one place makes it possible that there's more elsewhere. Check his other hand, and his feet."

Doing as they were told they first removed Sam's other glove, instantly revealing bandaged fingers. Frozen with shock Claudia could only stare as she held the glove in her hand, leaving Valanoir and Kratos to pull off his boots. His feet, it seemed, were clear.

"Since mana is drawn from the earth and concentrated with a catalyst in the hands, or sometimes in the hands themselves, they are usually the areas affected first," he explained, sounding vaguely relieved. "Luckily for your friend, the damage isn't too severe yet."

"Seriously...?" Claudia whimpered in disbelief, and the Elder nodded.

"We have an herbal substance that should hold off the effects better than bandages, though your best option would be to visit the dwarves of Moria."

"Dwarves?" Kratos repeated, curious as to the reason just as Claudia and Valanoir were.

"There is a dwarven technology, very familiar to you Kratos, that is often used to enhance fighting and survival capabilities."

"_Exspheres_?" Surprised by Kratos' sudden outburst Claudia and Valanoir visibly flinched, before turning their perplexed attention to him. He was staring at the old elf in disbelief. "How...?"

"I don't know the details, but they appear to be the most effective method of keeping the Decay at bay at present. There are a small number of dwarves in Moria who will attach Exspheres for a price, but they are difficult to convince: maybe the fact your charge is afflicted will help sway them in your favour."

"There must be another-"

"I don't think this is your choice to make, Kratos," the Elder quickly cut across, before looking down at Sam again. "When he wakes, explain it to him and let him make the choice. Until then, I will do what I can to stop the Decay from spreading any further." With that, he bid them goodnight and headed for the door, but Kratos quickly stopped him. "What is it?"

"...Where are the Sage siblings?"

It was a stretch to think that the man in the forest was anyone he knew. With guards situated at the entrance to Ymir, and the 'beast' roaming the waters, having a separate force around to watch for intruders seemed excessive. Maybe that was why the man's features had caught his attention: for that single moment seeing one even vaguely familiar face would've been comforting, in spite of the reality surrounding him. But such a passing of time would've clearly shown, even on a half elf.

His hunched back remained to them, and after a moment's silence another old hum escaped the Elf Elder's throat.

"The last I heard, Genis was headed for Sybak to meet a friend: if you set off for Moria in the morning, you may meet him on your way there. I advise you pose any questions you have about Lloyd to him." And without another word, he left.

* * *

><p>Awrite my luvlies! Make sure you review now!<p> 


	18. Breeze

Okay, I'm really sorry for the huge delay in getting this up on here. I have all the excuses in the world, but I don't think you'd be here if you wanted to hear me complain.

Anyway, yeah: Beta is swamped, so I had to beta this one. If that makes sense. I just read over it again and corrected stuff and moved things around and all that in the hopes that it worked better. If not, you know where the 'complain profusely' button is, though for some strange reason they call it the 'Review' button.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: Breeze<strong>

Waking to a comfortably cool room bathed in darkness Sam was beyond disorientated. The last he could remember he was getting a piggyback ride from Claudia as she climbed a tree somewhere in Ymir Forest, not long after they were attacked by a half elf in blue and green. Everything had been burning up except his hand, which had lost all feeling, and the world spun uneasily even when Claudia had been carrying him.

He still couldn't quite feel his right hand. Usually it'd be aching or something, but from his elbow down his skin felt no different to the rest of him. Beyond his wrist there was no feeling whatsoever except for stiffness in the joints of his fingers. Opening his eyes he sat up, still a little dizzy but nothing that couldn't be helped by clinging to the mattress, and once he was steady he investigated his hands.

His gloves had been removed and both hands bandaged, smelling vaguely herb like. Wiggling his toes he realised his boots were gone too. Confused, he looked around the darkened room to find three other beds, two of which were occupied, and threw off his blanket to see who they were. In the one opposite was Valanoir, and alongside him was Claudia, both fast asleep (which wasn't surprising considering it was the middle of the night). As carefully as possible he crawled underneath Claudia's blanket; she fidgeted with an agitated grumble, but brought an arm around Sam regardless and settled with him curled up alongside him in no time.

* * *

><p>As fate would have it he was up early the next morning. It wasn't by choice either: Claudia woke first, and when she failed to relinquish her arm from his grasp she shook him awake.<p>

"What the- Sam! When did you get in my bed?" she grunted, half asleep. He was still pretty much completely out of it, barely hearing a word she said as he clung tighter to her limb, until she finally pulled free and made him roll over.

"W-what...?" It was light outside, the occasional birdsong floating in through the open window accompanied by a soft, warm breeze. Claudia sat up, taking half the blanket with her.

"Apparently we've 'slept enough'. Or I have. I'm not sure who he meant, but..." With another grunt she stood up and stretched. "I'm heading out to look around. You stay here if you want."

Sam grumbled, clearly unhappy to be awake, but if Kratos wanted them up he should probably get out of bed. The last thing he wanted was to invoke his wrath. With limbs like lead and a head full of cotton wool leaving the bed was easier said than done, and so with the blanket swept around his shoulders he made his way towards the door. Claudia had long since disappeared into the corridor beyond, but thankfully he could hear familiar voices from further along, and followed them with uneasy steps.

"...We need to restock, and I'm sure we can find something here that's an improvement on your current equipment."

"What- I just bought this damn thing!"

"Claudie: is full of holes! Need repairs at least."

"Morning guys..."

They seemed a little surprised to see him, but without hesitation Kratos sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him around and guiding him back towards the door.

"Go back to bed. You're still unwell." Sam nodded, and headed back towards their room without complaint.

"Bye guys..."

Running her hand down her face in exasperation Claudia shook her head.

"I woke up this morning with him holding my arm in a death grip. I swear I couldn't feel my hand." When these words were voiced she quickly went quiet, staring blankly down at her right hand. Valanoir gave her a gentle nudge, and smiled warmly to ease Claudia's concern.

"You didn't notice? Floorboards and bed creaked when he moved."

"Yeah, well, apparently I sleep like the dead."

"One of you stay here and keep an eye on him for now," Kratos suggested, keeping a careful eye on the distant doorway just in case Sam wandered back out in a daze. Both girls looked at each other, and Valanoir stood up just as Claudia opened her mouth to speak.

"I will! Don't think elves like me so much..."

"But-"

Once again Valanoir gave her a reassuring smile, and petted her head. "S'alright. Sam'll be fine. I'll look after him 'til you get back." Claudia gave a dismal nod, before Valanoir handed her the bag full of items they'd gathered. "Sell them high, yeah? No less than five hundred gald each for stingers: still got venom in 'em."

"B-but... I'm no good at-"

"You'll be fine! Just haggle! You know how, yeah?"

"Well, yeah..." Black and gold eyes focused on Kratos, who was still stood by the corridor entrance with his arms crossed, and Valanoir pointed at him with a grin.

"Kratos go with you, show you around the village!"

"You can't just tell people what to do-!" Claudia sputtered, but Kratos cut across her as he went to the inn's front door.

"The Elder said he might have someone to help you to Flanoir. You can explain your situation to them."

Bag in hand she stood up, looking a little skeptical at Kratos' suggestion. "Wait, so... you're making me go shopping and then I have to talk to someone I don't even know about what's going on?" She was incredulous, even more so when he nodded with nonchalant. She groaned. "Great, the two worst types of social interaction. This is a nightmare."

The sky was beautifully clear as they stepped outside, a gentle wind catching the leaves and providing a serene rustling against the trickle of the river weaving by. Heimdall was much busier this morning, a young woman leading a group of children across one of the bridges towards the schoolhouse further into the village, and a great number of people young and old sitting in the shade of the trees. At least half of the population acknowledged Kratos in some way or another, either with a pleasant 'good morning' or a simple nod in recognition, and as another elf walked by with a smile Claudia finally spoke up.

"How does almost _everyone_ here recognize you? You famous or something?" she asked, smiling politely back at an elderly gentleman who greeted them both.

"A friend of mine used to live here."

"They must've been really popular."

"He was rather well known."

"Why'd he move? Everyone seems really friendly."

"They weren't at the time."

They approached a building built alongside the river a short distance from the entrance to the village, and as they climbed the steps Claudia looked out towards the houses further in. "Man, I'd hate to leave this place. It's amazing..." she sighed enviously, before following Kratos to the door. "Mom and dad will never believe I've been to _Heimdall_!"

Inside the blacksmith it was arm and quiet, a crackling fire behind one counter casting most of the room into shadow, since the few windows there were fairly small. One side of the building was stacked with weapons of every description- swords, staffs, axes, hammers, even funny disks and rings- whilst the other was displaying all kinds of armor and protective charms. The colourful display of different accessories drew Claudia's eye and she approached them with an awed smile, but Kratos quickly drew her back.

"You don't travel much?" he asked, going to one of the counters with the young woman at his heels. She shrugged as she offered up the bag.

"I think Flanoir to Luin is enough. All this adventure and danger..." Shuddering softly, she shook her head. "Monsters, I can deal with. You run away from them and they leave you alone. But the Eques... They remember you, and if you cross them it doesn't end well."

Rummaging through Valanoir's bag she soon had all the scythes, stingers, hides and claws they'd gathered on the counter, and the elven man stood behind it eyed them up in surprise. But Claudia hung her head with a sigh, ignoring the elf's impressed nod as he looked over a few of the scythes.

"I feel like we're never going home. Heck, even if we do, I doubt we'd be staying very long..." she mumbled, drawing her sword and placing it on the counter as well. "I don't think Sam's going to be able to stay there after all this."

The blacksmith was staring curiously at her sword, and once she'd taken the remainder of their items out of her own back she picked it up again. "D'you think you could fix this? It's been jamming since we were attacked by that snake thing in Ymir." It took a few tries, but she eventually had the chain loose. As it hung from the handle the last three sections of the blade remained together. "Don't worry if you can't. I've been told not a lot of people work on this type of thing."

Leaning over the counter the elf nodded thoughtfully. "That's because it's an elven weapon," he said, before taking it from her and giving it a much closer look. "And a very old one at that. I'm surprised it's still functioning... Where did you get this?"

"My uncle, but I don't think he ever mentioned it was elven."

Returning it to its usual state he put it back down on the counter with a nod. "I can fix it, but buying a new one would be a better idea. This one is _beyond_ antique." Red faced, Claudia ran a hand through her hair.

"I-I don't think we could afford a new one..." she mumbled, before unfastening the scabbard form her belt. The blacksmith gestured to the materials she'd placed on the counter as he slid the sword back into its decorated home.

"You'll have more than enough gald to buy anything you need when you sell these off. I'll buy the scythes and fangs and such, but take the stingers to the medicine shop: they use the venom and crushed stingers to make medication for the Decay."

"R-really?" He nodded in reply to Claudia, before placing her sword on the table near the furnace.

"It'll take a while to fix the sword. Are you sure you wouldn't rather buy a new one?"

"Ah, I'll take it back with me anyway. My uncle would kill me if I left that anywhere."

Gathering up the stingers again Kratos and Claudia vacated the shop: Sam needed new weapons and they all needed their armor repaired, so they'd be back later. Her bag now considerably lighter Claudia seemed much more eager to explore the village, but followed diligently after Kratos as he went to a building a short walk away from the blacksmith. As they walked in through the door the scent of dried herbs and flowers filled their senses, and unlike the blacksmith there was a queue at the counter. So they joined at the end and waited.

"What makes you think Sam won't stay in Flanoir?" A little confused when Kratos first posed this question, Claudia quickly remembered their previous conversation at the blacksmith.

"The first few times Tabitha went to Luin, it was Sam's uncle at the cycle garage who used to escort her. I started going when she asked: apparently he wasn't much of a talker, and she was really bored. Then when Sam turned fourteen he started working at the garage, and his uncle finally let him tag along. He's come along ever since, taking the lead for almost a year by now. He's always itching to leave home, no matter how long he's already been away. "She sighed again: she had a real penchant for it this morning. "No matter if the Eques are after him or not, the moment we get back I bet he'll be desperate to leave again."

* * *

><p>It was mid afternoon when Sam stirred again. He was definitely more aware this time around, and when he sat up and stretched nothing ached. Not even his hands, which had been burning almost constantly since their impromptu swim from the boat, and now that he was actually awake this was a cause for concern. Had his hand actually fallen off? No, he remembered seeing it earlier that morning... Lifting his right hand he found it wrapped in fresh bandages, still smelling vaguely herb-like and even a little fruity.<p>

"Oh! How you feeling?" Sitting in the sunlight was Valanoir, cross-legged on the window sill with a book perched on her knee, the pages on display covered in tiny handwriting. With a jingle of her bracelets she stood up and climbed on the mattress, sitting at his feet with her book in her arms.

"How long was I asleep?" he mumbled, voice sill slurred with sleep and a little dry.

"Since this morning. Fever went down after elves put cream on your hands and gave you medicine last night." He nodded slowly, checking over the bandages: they were expertly wrapped, and fastened with shining silver pins. "...How you feeling?"

"Eh, I'll survive." She didn't look happy with this answer, her gaze falling briefly to his other hand with a frown. He was soon doing the same, running his fingers over the bandages that partially hid his other hand.

"Claudia was upset when she see this hand. Didn't think it'd spread so much," she explained in a small voice, hugging her book to her chest a little tighter. Her eyes were full of pleading. "Why didn't you tell us? We so worried when you collapsed in Ymir...!"

"I... I don't know..."

"When did it start?"

Staring at his hands he shook his head with a small, shaky sigh. "Dunno... But I noticed it a little before we arrived at Toize. I thought the saltwater in my glove just irritated my skin, but when I saw my fingers I realised it was starting here." He clenched his hand. "I didn't want to worry Claudia- we were all really stressed, and just about to go to sleep, so I thought I'd tell her in the morning...but I didn't get the chance. We're all under a lot of pressure, and there isn't much of it, so I didn't tell anyone."

"Sam..." Placing her hand on his Valanoir's gaze was downcast. "... We worried 'bout you. If you don't tell, we be more worried, so... no more, yeah? Don't do it again, or me and Claudie be more worried than ever, and be fussing over you." Finally lifting her head she leant forward to meet his averted gaze. "You don't want that, do you?" He shook his head, but still didn't seem all that improved. "...Sam?"

"...Was Claudia mad?"

"No. Sat at your side 'til Kratos made her go to bed." This managed to draw a despondent chuckle from him, and with a nod he sat up straight again, looking determined.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Vala. I won't let it happen again." Valanoir smiled. "Now I gotta find Claudia...!"

* * *

><p>The Elder was sat waiting on a bench near his home when Kratos and Claudia approached, along with a young woman in a powder blue, baby pink and creamy white dress. Pale blonde ringlets cascaded down over her shoulders, held back by a patterned silk ribbon that matched her dress in colour. She stood up and greeted them with a respectful curtsy and a smile.<p>

"Good morning Kratos! I see you've brought someone along with you today!" The Elder remained seated, and held a hand out to Claudia in greeting. "I didn't catch your name last night."

"Claudia Morgans." She shook his hand a little awkwardly, a little unnerved by the elderly elf staring her down, before he offered for them both to join him on the bench. Kratos remained on his feet, so she did the same, whilst the young lady in the pastel dress sat next to the Elder again.

"Have you discussed the Exsphere with the half elf yet?" he asked, his staff in his hands and allowing him to lean forward a little, his aged back arched and refusing to let him rest against the back of the seat. Kratos shook his head.

"He's still resting at the moment-"

"Good; you'll have plenty of time to do so on your way to Meltokio."

"Eh?" squeaked Claudia, staring dumbly at the Elder when he said this. He gestured to the girl next to him, who was sat with her hands folded demurely in her lap.

"My acquaintance, Merrywether, is a scientist from Meltokio. If you would, my dear..."

She nodded, and turned to Kratos and Claudia with such a serious expression Claudia almost stepped behind the mercenary with a yelp. Her soft, pale features held such professionalism it was hard to believe she'd been smiling only moments ago.

"I work at the Elemental Research Laboratory." Yet her voice betrayed her stark features even more, coming out softly like the breeze through the leaves up above. Any quieter, and she'd probably be drowned out by the rustling. "We're currently working with the elves and the dwarves to find a cure for the Decay. I'm an emissary traveling between Heimdall and Moria, and I'm about to return to the Lab with my latest findings.

"The Elder mentioned you were traveling with someone afflicted?" she asked, and when Claudia finally realized Merrywether had stopped talking she nodded along with Kratos.

"Yeah: Sam."

"Do you think he'd be interested in visiting the Laboratory?"

Almost instantly Claudia's face fell, and she looked from Merrywether to Kratos with a troubled frown. "Uh..." She was searching Kratos' features for any help with answering, but his face was unreadable as he watched her and waited for her reply. So she looked back at Merrywether, shrugging with a slight shake of her head. "I-I don't know. I... see, Meltokio is _really_ dangerous. Sam knows that, but I don't know if he'd risk getting caught by Eques... I'm not the person you should be asking," she eventually mumbled, hanging her head.

"You want him to get well, don't you?" the Elder enquired in a low voice, and almost like she'd been slapped Claudia stared at him, aghast at his question.

"Of course! How could you ask something so stupid?" she snapped back, features beginning to twist with anger until Kratos growled her name in warning. She mumbled a reluctant apology, and pouted at the floor.

The Elder mumbled a thoughtful hum, rubbing his aged knuckled. "Then, I take it you'd do anything to help him if he decided to go? A visit to the lab may very well affect his life." Without looking up, Claudia nodded. "Then I think you'll be fine. If you're there to accompany him I'm sure he'd be willing to brave the danger."

"...Yeah..."

"Good. Then all that's left is to speak with the half elf."

Their room at the inn was empty, so Kratos, Merrywether and the Elder resorted to walking through town to find Sam, with Claudia bringing up the rear in a foul mood. Returning to the blacksmith to check on her whip sword they found Sam and Valanoir leant over one counter, peering curiously at whatever was on top.

"That one?" asked Valanoir, prodding at something closer to the back. But Sam shook his head.

"Nah, too showy. Doubt it'd pack much of a punch..."

"Hm... That one?"

"...'Mana rounds'...?"

"Up and about so soon?" They turned when the Elder spoke, Valanoir nudging Sam to get his attention when he didn't move at first, and when he spotted Kratos' stern expression he smiled sheepishly.

"I feel a lot better now, Kratos...!" he mumbled with a grin, before realizing the old elf next to Kratos was looking him up and down. "Oh... I'm guessing you're the Elder?"

"You guessed correctly," came his reply, along with a slow nod. Breaking into a genuine smile Sam fell into a deep bow.

"Vala explained what you did for me. Thank you so much!"

Chuckling at his behavior the Elder shook his head and motioned for him to rise.

"Think nothing of it. We are always eager to help those who share out blood." He turned to leave, and looked up at Kratos. "I'll leave it to you and Merrywether to explain your options from here, though I'm sure the decision is already half made." Kratos nodded, and as the Elder walked out Sam and Valanoir were left to stare in confusion, mainly at Merrywether still stood the other side of Kratos.

"What decision?" asked Sam, and Kratos shook his head.

"We'll discuss it back at the inn."

* * *

><p>"Meltokio?" Back in their comfortably cool room at the inn Sam was sat at the foot of his bed and staring incredulously at Kratos, who was stood in front of him. Kratos, with the help of Merrywether to his left, had explained the latest turn of events to Sam and Valanoir, and the half elf's reply made Kratos sigh. It had been almost identical to Claudia's not so long ago. "That's Eques territory! I mean <em>major<em> danger! We can't go!"

"We have information in regards to the Decay! Aren't you in the least bit curious?" asked Merrywether, her quiet voice gaining some passion as she spoke about the Laboratory. Sam hung his head.

"Well, yeah..." he mumbled, but gave her a resolute stare not a moment later. "But we can't risk getting caught just for that! It's just selfish!"

"But Sam: is a chance to find out about a cure, yeah? You really gonna pass up?" Valanoir enquired, clearly confused by his defiance.

Getting to his feet he crossed his bandaged arms and started to pace, resting a thoughtful hand against his chin.

"We'd get caught the moment we were in the city..."

"The Laboratory is on the outskirts, and Eques don't patrol often enough to be a problem. As long as you keep to the outer areas you'll be fine," explained Merrywether, but still Sam was pacing.

"We don't have ID."

"If you aren't doing anything wrong, no one should ask for it." He looked at Merrywether when she spoke this time, his troubled expression meeting her firmer features, and eventually making him sigh softly and shake his head.

"I... I don't know-"

"We'll be fine, Sam." When Claudia spoke up he stared at her in surprise, but she was giving him a stern look. "This is important, so it's worth the risk."

"R-really?"

"Wouldn't be saying it if I didn't mean it," she replied, before managing a small grin. "Besides, we'll be looking out for you. We'll be alright."

He was still staring stupidly at her when she said this, before Valanoir stood up beside him with fiery determination.

"Yeah! Claudie right!"

"Eh?" squeaked Sam.

"Is important you get well! An' with me and Claudia, you be more than fine!" She was the most enthusiastic by the proposition, and it quickly rubbed off on Sam as he started smiling.

"Yeah, you're right!" he replied with vigour, unaware of Claudia's downhearted sigh as she half hid behind Kratos. "When do we set off?"

"My boat is ready on the southern outskirts of Ymir, but from what I've heard you've had a difficult time getting here," said Merrywether. "I was planning on staying for a few more days, but it's up to you."

"Well, our stuff needs to be fixed," Sam pointed out, and Valanoir nodded as she poked a hole through her shirt.

"And Sam needs guns," she added afterwards, and Kratos nodded in agreement before turning to Claudia, who had pulled down her sleeve and started nibbling on the cuff. When she realised they were staring at her, she quickly stopped.

"Uh, yeah, we should have the money."

Her momentary lapse into a vacant gaze had caught Sam's attention, but before he could speak up Valanoir had caught his hand and was pulling him out through the door. Claudia was once again staring at the floor.

"What's wrong?" asked Merrywether, and the sound of her demure voice caused Claudia to tense visibly. She didn't dare look directly at the blonde in soft colours, and crossed her arms in a huff.

"I feel like I tricked him..." she grumbled, before following after Sam and Valanoir.

* * *

><p>Because it was written over such a huge amount of time, it feels a little 'all over the place'. Again, you know where the complainreview button is.


	19. No Introduction Needed

**_Chapter 19: No Introduction Needed_**

"The first order of business is to find an inn for you to stay at for the night. We'll visit the Elemental Research Laboratory tomorrow morning: the boat ride took a little longer than I expected... Are any of you listening to me?" Merrywether sighed irritably, watching all four in her company wander up to the front gate in awe.

"_This_... is Meltokio?" gasped Claudia, leaning back slightly to take in the whole city.

"Yes. The Laboratory is in the third ring, along with other businesses. It's a short walk from here."

"Wow, and I thought Flanoir was big...!" Sam mumbled, impressed, before following after the others as they crossed the threshold.

Meltokio was almost twice as wide as it was tall. The walls stretched on in an extensive rim around a vast amount of buildings, most of which seemed to be civilian housing, and big ones at that. Piled high atop each other none were as high as the castle, its blue-roofed turrets standing tall even amongst all the other buildings. It dwarfed even the old cathedral next to it, which was doing its best to tower over the Coliseum in the second tier of the city, and its many windows glittered in the light of the sunset. Tinted orange by the distant horizon, the whole city almost appeared to be on fire as thousands of glass panes winked and shimmered, reflecting the distant glow of the sinking sun as it disappeared behind the horizon. The crowds were slowly slinking their way back indoors as night drew in, making the walk to the inn Merrywether had mentioned much easier than anticipated.

"A word of advice: the Eques patrol periodically through the main streets every two hours, and every hour in the upper circle. Castle grounds are completely off limits, and though access to the Martel Cathedral is allowed it would be ill-advised. If you want to keep off their radar I suggest you remember this," Merrywether explained as she guided them inside the inn's front door, and as she went to the counter Sam, Valanoir and Claudia stared around the room.

A number of people were relaxing in a parlour-area through an archway, paying no heed to them as they remained silent by the door. After a short discussion with the landlord Merrywether handed Kratos a key. "I have paid for a room for you for the next two nights, whether you stay that long or not. I am meeting with family tomorrow morning and won't be here to meet you until around midday, so do what you will with your free time." With a nod and a thank you, Kratos gestured for his three charges to ascend to the next floor, and as Merrywether went to the door they each called their own gratitude after her, earning a curt nod from her before she disappeared back outside.

Their room was simple and quaint, with four beds and a table with floral décor. Making themselves comfortable in a heartbeat it wasn't long before this question was posed by Sam, who'd abandoned his bag at the foot of what he'd now claimed as his bed and kicked off his boots. In his hand was a small leather pouch. "What's the plan? How long are we staying?"

"Not long, I hope," grumbled Claudia, collapsing onto the next bed with all of her possessions still on her person.

"We'll be here as long as we need to be. We're here for a reason." Lifting herself up on her elbows she pouted at Kratos' stern stare, which matched his voice. "We should make use of the time we have here."

"You're kidding, right? I'm hiding out here 'til we leave!"

"Can't do that, Claudie! First time in Meltokio- gotta explore!" Valanoir quickly argued as she pounced on the older female, a girly giggle spilling from her lips as Claudia let out a grunt in surprise.

"I... _ain't_ doing that! You heard what Merrywether said: Eques around every corner!" she gasped, trying to lift herself up with Valanoir still lying across her back. Thankfully she moved by herself, and both sat at the edge of the mattress facing Sam.

"Where's your spirit of adventure, Claude? You always said you'd love to see the Cathedral," said Sam, removing his belt and carefully placing his firearms on the table between the two beds. Four pale blue cylinders joined them, along with the little leather pouch Sam had been holding.

"Yeah, but that was before we were put on the Eques' Most Wanted list."

"It's highly unlikely the soldiers around here would recognise you as fugitives. As long as you aren't causing trouble they shouldn't bother you," Kratos interjected from where he was sitting at the table, his map out again and laid bare beneath his gaze.

"It's not that easy. Those guys are scary...!"

"We be there too, Claudie. Won't be no problem," Valanoir reassured her, before getting to her feet and stretching with a quiet squeak. "I'ma bath now, be clean for tomorrow."

She went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, humming pleasantly as she went, leaving Sam and Claudia sat face to face. With an irate sigh Claudia lay back on her bed with her arms over her face, before quickly covering her stomach when there was a low growl. This sent Sam into peels of sniggers. As she kicked him to get him to stop, Kratos stood up with a sigh.

"I guess food is in order..."

"I'll go get it-" Claudia sat up again, but caught only a glimpse of Kratos' swallowtail cloak as it vanished around the corner of the closing door. "...Never mind, then."

Heaving another sigh she sat cross legged and leant against her knees, watching Sam in curiosity as he drew one of his new firearms and checked it over. "What are you doing?"

"Giving them a quick clean," he said as he removed the cartridge and placed it with the others on the table. Next to them was the small leather pouch, which was now open and revealed a selection of cleaning tools.

"What- but they're new! And you haven't _used_ them!" Brow furrowed he wasn't amused by her exclamation, swapping the empty arm for the loaded one and ejecting its cartridge as well.

"So? They're weapons: you can never be too careful."

"Yeah, but they don't use bullets," she replied with a simple shrug, picking one of the pale blue capsules up and examining it closely. "What was it... 'Mana rounds'?"

"Yep. Those things are basically like batteries: they power the arm, which creates the energy that's fired in the chamber- the round thing where bullets usually go," he explained, checking the area he described before pulling a small swab from the leather pouch. "If the contacts are dirty it compromises performance."

"Those are some big words there, Sam," Claudia raised an eyebrow in pseudo awe at his vocabulary prowess.

"Shut up. If the two metal circles can't touch then the gun can't charge and fire. And if I haven't been using them there's an even bigger chance that something got in the way." He was sounding a little annoyed by her fun-poking, and she could tell. Sniggering, she lay back against her pillows with her arms behind her head.

"If they're like batteries, maybe you shouldn't have them in the gun all the time. They'll lose their charge."

"Yeah, but we could get attacked at any time. It's best that they stay in there," he retorted, but this only made Claudia scoff in amusement.

"Yeah, because there's always plenty of fights to be had on a boat."

Red faced he looked from her to the cells, then to the weapon in his hand, before pouting with a glare. "Shut up, smartass."

* * *

><p>"Wake up Claudia!" The next morning came all too soon, and Claudia found herself torn from sleep in the rudest way imaginable: someone leapt on her, sitting on her hip and lying on her side like a cat on top of a fence. Sam's impact had made the whole bed creak, and the mattress was still bouncing as he shook Claudia's shoulder. "C'mon! Help me change my bandages!"<p>

"Can't you do that by yourself?" she whined into her pillow, trying in vain to pull up her blanket. But he quickly pulled it away and leant forward to nuzzle up to her cheek, winding his arms beneath her in an awkward hug around her neck.

"I can't make it tidy like you can, and Kratos left ages ago! Anyway, you need to get up so we can go look around!"

"Bit hard when you're _straddling_ me."

With an apologetic 'oh yeah' Sam climbed down and sat on the mattress next to her instead, and when Claudia sat up she gave him a bemused look, brushing her hair from her face. "Why the heck do you want to look around anyway?"

He grinned. "Why the heck don't you? We're in _Meltokio_! One of the four major cities! This is a once in a lifetime chance, Claudia!"

"We gonna go downtown! You gotta come too, Claudie!" Claudia looked to Valanoir instead, who was sitting cross-legged on Sam's bed and arranging her long hair into an impressive crown braid, the rest pulled back into a plaited ponytail.

"You guys are crazy..." she grumbled, turning over and curling up again. But Sam was quick to get her up again.

"Come on! If we go now the Eques won't be prowling!"

"'Prowling'?" Claudia repeated incredulously, before shaking her head with a sigh. "Sam, it's still dangerous-"

"Won't be trouble if they don't notice us!" Valanoir cut across with a chirp.

"Besides, they're probably not even looking for us over here! We're wanted in Luin-Palmacosta territory, not Meltokio!" Once again Sam was holding Claudia's arm, and rocking her back and forth. "We'll be fine! Even Kratos said so!"

"Where is he, anyway?" she asked instead, pulling free of Sam's grip and gently shoving him away so she could get out of bed.

"He left a while ago. Said he had to go talk to Merrywether."

"Why didn't he take us with him?" she grumbled as she grabbed her boots and belt, pulling them on with sluggish hands as she fought back a yawn.

"Because you were still asleep, and I said we wanted to look around a little before we went to the Lab," said Sam, getting up as well and picking up his bag. "We can look around the weapon shops and the Coliseum and stuff! And Claude, you could even go check out the Cathedral! You're always going on about how much you've wanted to see that place!"

"And the Memorial Garden?" Valanoir asked hopefully, and though Sam nodded Claudia stood over them both with her arms crossed defiantly.

"Haven't you been listening to me at all?" she exclaimed, and both stared blankly at her.

"Well, yeah, but we already know that stuff. We'll be careful," Sam replied, before beaming at her and bringing an arm around her shoulders as best he could. "And anyway: you'll be there too! You'll make sure we don't get into trouble!" Eyes narrowed she stared him down, until his smile turned sheepish and he released her with a nervous chuckle.

* * *

><p>Not far beyond the Elemental Research Laboratory, where the old slums once resided, a garden had been built in its place. Surrounded by elegant metal fences two brick pillars guarded the entrance, displaying golden plaques: 'Solitude; inspired by a world at peace'. Illuminated by a vast selection of coloured flowers and trees it was alive with life, a vibrant backdrop for the people walking down the paved paths between the different soil beds and guiding them around a pool at the head of the garden. In the centre of the pool was a broadleaf tree much larger than the others around the park, standing by itself on its own little island in the water, and guarded by a low wall and a circle of benches.<p>

Sitting on one of these benches was Merrywether, hands folded demurely in her lap as she watched people walking by. Just as a young couple walked by Kratos entered the garden, and she stood to greet him as he approached with a quiet 'good morning'.

"My apologies if I kept you waiting. Have you been here long?" he asked, and she shook her head with a polite smile.

"No, I was just speaking with my brother. He's been away for a while, so we were just catching up."

She sat down again, and though she offered for Kratos to sit beside her he remained on his feet with a small shake of his head. "How was your evening at the inn? I must admit I've never stayed there myself, but I've heard it's pleasant enough," she said, before looking around the garden a little. "Where are your companions?"

"Looking around the city. No doubt we'll see them at some point."

"What of your plans after the Elemental Research Laboratory? Are you heading straight for Flanoir, or will you be going to Moria to see the dwarves?"

"That isn't my decision to make. We're here to find out more about the Decay: if Sam wants to go to Moria, then that's his choice," Kratos replied, before sighing softly and shaking his head softly. "Still, I'm sure it's our next destination regardless."

"That was part of the reason I wanted to speak with my brother before hand. He may be able to help us get to the mines, and is willing to escort us there." Meeting her gaze with an uncertain one of his own Kratos frowned inquisitively. "Though you may not be entirely pleased as to _how_ he can be of use..."

* * *

><p>"Sam?" Meltokio was <em>very big<em>. "Valanoir?" And it was very full of people. "Come on, this isn't funny!" And as such, it was very easy to get a little... lost. "Great. Just my luck."

They'd explored the high street, poking their head into each shop they spotted to get a good look at what was for sale. They'd found their way up to the second ring, and gone to see the Coliseum. A match had just ended (a lot of angry betters were grumbling that an armour plated dragon was a little too much for most of the competitors that went through the challenge), and in the heaving throng of people Claudia had been so bumped and bruised she'd stepped off to one side to nurse her now aching body. When she turned around to look for Sam and Valanoir, they were already gone. Lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces she was left alone beneath the trees that lined the Coliseum's entrance. She heaved a sigh and climbed up onto the wall, doing her best to search for any sign of blue or pink amongst the bobbing crowd of strangers, but it was to no avail. "Fantastic..."

It was well into the afternoon by now, the sun high overhead and causing a terrible heat. Walking for so long she'd completely lost her bearings: from here, the inn could be anywhere. Sam and Valanoir could be anywhere. She was completely lost and with no means of contacting anyone she knew. And that was a huge mood dampener. But then again... The Cathedral was in clear sight, both it and the castle maybe a fifteen minute walk away. The stairwell to the upper circle wasn't far from the Coliseum, and it would be nice to get out of the sun.

Merrywether's warning sprung to mind momentarily, but it didn't take much to get it from her mind. She was lost, looking for her friends so they could go back to the inn, and they both knew she wanted to see the Cathedral. It was the most logical place to go, and besides it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. It wasn't against the law to go and visit a church... But she found she could hardly move her feet. Her pace was sluggish, her desire to see the Cathedral in all its splendour clashing viciously with her fear of bumping into soldiers. It was easy enough to say she wasn't doing anything wrong, but if they recognised her as a companion of a wanted fugitive there would be nothing she could do, and Sam and the others might not find out for a long time. What if they didn't find out at all? Maybe she was just overreacting. She was _definitely_ over thinking... but what if she wasn't?

"Oh, this is just ridiculous!" she hissed, shaking her head vigorously, before taking a deep breath and pushing her way through the crowd.

It was incredibly cool beneath the stone arches, the thick walls keeping just enough of the warmth away despite the large doors at the front of the hall being wide open. The frosted glass windows broke up the sunbeams streaming in and cast glowing patterns across the floors and up the pillars, like the dancing light seen through water had been frozen mid-movement.

Following them up the nearest pillar Claudia was lost in thought, admiring the architecture, when the bench beside her creaked as someone leant against it. "Meltokio's a little too warm to mistake for Flanoir, don't you think?" Turning her head to see who it was her breath caught in her throat, despite the amused smile she was being shown. "A little too far south, too. Was it on purpose?"

"Y-you...! You're from the inn at Colwyn...!" she barely managed to squeak, watching as Lloyd walked around the bench to sit down beside her.

"You remember me! That's great!" he chuckled, his plate armour ringing softly against the chain mail he was wearing. When she didn't reply he looked at her again, and smiled again. "It's alright, you can breathe."

"...You really are Eques...!" she mumbled, earning a confused look from him.

"'Really are'? Who told you I was in the first place?"

"Oh, uh, Kratos overheard you back in the inn."

He nodded slowly, looking around the Cathedral himself as he crossed his arms over his stomach. For a soldier he was sat in a very relaxed fashion, as if the armour didn't bother him at all.

"Um..." When she managed to let out a shaky breath he turned his attention back to her, his head a little to one side in a curious slant.

"What?"

"Uh... You're not going to turn us in, are you?" Her voice had lost all strength, and without realising it she'd pressed herself up into the corner of the bench, doing her best to avoid all contact with the shiny black and red armour. A little surprised, he shook his head, before managing another small laugh.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, his voice holding a rather genuine tone of confusion. Her shoulders rolled with an awkward shrug as she peered around the benches: there weren't many people here. If anything happened it wasn't like any of them would be able to help her. Or stop her if she tried to make a run for it.

"I-I dunno. I mean... you know what happened in Triet, right?" She really wasn't sure about what she should be asking. No matter how he was back in Colwyn he was still a soldier: anything she told him could easily be used against her. He even remembered that they were headed to Flanoir.

"Yeah, but that's the Triet system. If anything, the warrant for your friend has probably been called off by now. It's not like he did any lasting damage," he explained, before sniggering quietly. "From what I heard, you and your two friends really showed up the Triet Captain. Did you really take down half his team?"

"Uh, I-I wouldn't say half..."

"Well, whatever you did, you made a laughing stock of him."

"Geez, really...?" she mumbled guiltily, but Lloyd quickly shook his head.

"Don't feel bad! He deserves it for sure."

With a dejected hum she managed a slow nod, which didn't go unnoticed by Lloyd as she stared rather vacantly at the far altar. "What's wrong?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"...Nothing."

"Hm... So what brings you here? You don't strike me as a religious type." Leaning back a little she followed the lines of the arched ceiling, the distant arches dark in the shadows.

"I've always loved the church in Flanoir, and the elven lady there always said how lovely this place was. I've wanted to see it for a while now. Which is strange, because I've never really wanted to come to Meltokio," she explained with a bemused chuckle, before finally looking back at him, their gaze meeting for the first time since he'd sat down. She still felt a little uneasy at the thought of sitting with an Eques officer, but he'd given no indication that he would suddenly turn on her and arrest her any time soon, so sitting for a little longer wasn't much of a dilemma. "What about you?"

"Oh, just passing by. When my family first moved here from Colwyn we came here a lot."

"You don't anymore?"

His gaze fell to his knees, and though he still managed a smile there was a melancholy feeling to it. "When my mother passed away, we stopped coming."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright. You were only asking," he quickly reassured her, before managing a more cheerful expression. "I still have my father and sister." This brought a smile to Claudia's features, but before she could ask anymore she caught sight of someone coming in through the main door of the Cathedral. She relaxed considerably when she recognised Sam, and when he spotted her she managed a wave as he rushed over.

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!" he explained, flustered and a little red in the face. But he stopped in his tracks when he finally realised who was sat beside her. "C-Claude-"

"Don't panic, it's alright," she spoke over him, raising a hand to halt a worried rant before it could start, before getting to her feet. "He was keeping me company, since you went and got yourself lost."

"_Me_? I wasn't lost! Vala and I have been looking for you for an hour and a half!" he squeaked in disbelief, but Claudia ignored him as she walked around the bench to join him. Lloyd did the same, and she gave him a courteous bow.

"Thank you. I was a little worried that I wouldn't find my way back to the inn before nightfall," she joked with a small laugh, making Lloyd do the same in return.

"I would have happily walked you back," he replied, and eventually bid his farewell to them both before going to the door. He cast one last smile over his shoulder before disappearing outside, and when Sam turned to Claudia he found her smiling back, her cheeks a soft pink. When she realised he was staring she cleared her throat with an awkward cough.

"L-let's go! Where did you say Vala was?" His eyes narrowed, and he stared suspiciously at her for a moment before nodding to the door.

"Down on the square. We found this old notice board with loads of wanted posters on it."

A brief walk to the second ring and they spotted Valanoir, who happily greeted them when she saw them heading down the steps. She leapt on Claudia in her enthusiasm.

"Where were you? Bad place to get lost!" she exclaimed, feet in the air as she hung on around Claudia's neck, much to Claudia's exasperation.

"You guys walked off without me, so I went to the Cathedral. But it's alright now: we're all together. Let's go back to the inn or something."

"Eh- no! Can't go back yet!" Valanoir squeaked into her ear, unintentionally but inevitable at their proximity, before she dropped back onto the floor and tugged at the hem of Claudia's top. "So much to see! Might not come back for a long time!"

"Yeah, we haven't even seen the Memorial Garden yet!" added Sam, catching Claudia's hand and shaking her softly. "It's just one more place, I promise! Then we can go back and wait for Kratos and Merrywether!"

Eyes narrowed she looked from one to another, their pleading faces staring right back at her until she sighed in defeat. "Fine, we'll go see the garden, but then we're going back to the inn! We said we were meeting at lunchtime anyway." Sam and Valanoir shared a victorious high five, which made Claudia hang her head despondently. "It's like looking after children...!"

"Oh, do you want to see the notice board? That's why Vala was waiting here in the first place," Sam said suddenly, taking Claudia's hand and pulling her back to the wall of weathered papers nearby. "There are loads of them, but I noticed something really weird."

There were so many posters up the back of the board was no longer visible. They were layered on top of each other, overlapping and obscuring some older pictures from sight. A few leaflets for fairs or gatherings had been put up, but the ones that bore the 'Eques Scientiae' emblem drowned them out and tore them to shreds, quite literally when they were taken down to be replaced. The oldest advert was for a party of some kind almost three years ago, covered up by smiling faces and the occasional thuggish scowl. Of the Eques Wanted Posters one of the bottom ones was just in sight, dated almost fifty years ago, and was the only one with its picture of a young man visible.

Searching the board for a while Claudia wasn't sure what she was looking for, and eventually looked at Sam with a shrug. "What? They're a bunch of wanted posters."

"But they're not! Look..." Stepping up he pointed to one of a teenage girl dressed in a blue and white dress. "A girl disappearing from the route to the dock." The second he gestured to was a middle-aged man with a speckled neckerchief. "A guy that hasn't been spotted in three weeks." Another one, a young boy of about twelve. "Missing. Most of them are missing people. The last actual wanted poster was from last year."

"So what? They're obviously really good at keeping everyone in check around here. Except when they go missing..." Claudia quickly trailed off, and Sam grumbled irritably.

"You don't think it's weird?" he asked. Claudia looked to Valanoir, who shrugged, before rolling her eyes dismissively.

"Not really. Can we go now? We said we'd be back by the inn by lunchtime, and we're pushing it as it is."

"B-but... _Claudia_...!"

"Come on. I don't want to piss off our babysitter."

It was a close call. Merrywether was waiting for them outside the inn, watching every street exit she could for any sign of them and giving them a reprimanding look once they finally turned up, before leading them towards the Laboratory. It wasn't far from the inn, thankfully, but if she hadn't been waiting they would have taken the rest of the afternoon to find the building by themselves.

Only the face of the building was visible, the rest of the facility disappearing into the wall of the upper ring and giving the appearance of a faux castle, but it was towards the blue doors that Merrywether guided them. As they approached the doors opened, and out stepped a tall man in a mid-length white jacket, his long crimson hair tied back in a simple plait. Merrywether smiled politely at him, and he smiled back with a charming smirk as he looked around them all.

"Afternoon, Merrywether," he said, holding the door open for them, before heading down the street without another word.

"Who was that?" asked Sam, watching the red ribbon disappear around the corner of the inn.

"Master Wilder, a descendant of the Last Chosen of Meltokio. He owns the Laboratory and funds our research into the Decay and those of elven kind."

"I thought he was a woman for a second," Claudia mumbled in embarrassment, casting a glance over her shoulder just in case the Wilder man had changed his mind and decided to come rushing back in the past ten seconds.

Inside they were guided down a stairway to a series of small laboratories, the furthest of which they entered. It looked more like an office than anything else they'd seen through the other doorways, with a few tables and chairs scattered about the place and a desk at the front with a blackboard on the wall. Standing before the blackboard was a familiar dark haired young man in black and red, and when he turned around Sam and Claudia gaped stupidly, leaving Valanoir and Merrywether confused as to why.

"Holy Martel, you're _everywhere_!" Sam sputtered. Lloyd's features broke into a smile.

"We meet again!"

"You... know each other?" Merrywether mumbled awkwardly, and they all nodded. "Well, that saves on introductions... how, exactly?" she finally asked, her head taking a curious tilt as she looked to Lloyd.

"We met briefly in Colwyn. And about twenty minutes ago up in the Cathedral," he chuckled, before crossing his arms. "You want to go to Moria now? I thought you were headed for Flanoir."

"W-we were- we _are_!" Claudia quickly corrected herself, before gesturing to Sam with a soft wave of her hand. "But we needed to come here for Sam. And then we're probably going to Moria, too."

"Remember what I told you? This is the half elf with the Decay."

His expression turned serious, but he managed a more sympathetic smile this time. "Right."

"Once I explain the details of the Decay, we'll make a decision. Will you be waiting here for us?" asked Merrywether, and Lloyd nodded as he walked to the back of the room and took a seat out of the way.

"I'll sit and listen. Won't do any harm." Merrywether nodded, and as Sam, Valanoir and Claudia sat down she sighed softly.

"When Kratos arrives, I will explain all that we know so far-"

"Wait, why is he here?" Sam asked, jabbing a thumb at Lloyd.

"He will be escorting us to Moria." The door at the back opened, and in stepped Kratos. He gave an acknowledging nod to Lloyd as he went to join Merrywether at the front.

"What- why?"

"Between the two of us, Lloyd is the one who knows the road best. There is a checkpoint on the way, and I think you'll agree that it's best we avoid it," Merrywether explained, but still Sam didn't look convinced.

"Yeah, but why him? He's Eques too: he could lead us right into a trap!"

"You really don't like me, do you?" Lloyd chuckled in a good natured fashion, but Merrywether looked much less amused. Lips pursed, her eyes were narrowed almost into a harsh glare.

"I would rather you did, Mr Perry, considering my _brother _is kind enough to be our guide."

Red-faced Sam grimaced in embarrassment, pressing his forehead the back of the seat (he was sitting on it backwards) before mumbling an apology. Claudia looked a little more stunned.

"_You're_ his sister?" she gasped, looking from one to another. "But you look completely different!"

"They're only half-siblings," Sam grumbled, daring to lift his head a little. He was still a little rosy cheeked. "I'm guessing, anyway. Am I right?" he asked, and Merrywether nodded.

"How do you know that?" asked Claudia, and he nodded to Merrywether.

"She's a pure blood elf, and he's only half," he explained, with Valanoir nodding with a smile next to him.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand, please?" Kratos cut across impatiently, looking around them all with his usual stern expression. They each nodded, and he gestured for Merrywether to continue before joining the others in her small audience.

She gently cleared her throat. "As you've heard from the Elven Elder in Heimdall, the Decay is an affliction that eats away at the flesh of the victim, excelled when mana is used. This is caused by an intolerance-"

"A what?" Sam interrupted with a confused gape, causing Merrywether to sigh softly.

"An inability to process mana. More often than not it develops during childhood, as any infant unfortunate to be born with it doesn't survive for long..." she mumbled sadly, before turning to the blackboard and picking up a piece of chalk. "This intolerance is often traceable by the weakness of the victim's power. During early stages the body has great difficulty in processing mana at all: instead of attempting to use it, it merely rejects it and only a percentage is converted into a discharge- a spell," she quickly added, seeing Sam's features twist with bewilderment when she glanced over her shoulder. "Those of elven descent take in mana to use spells, and this is done by refinement within the blood, producing spells of differing elements. As all elves are different, all spells are different, which is why some elves are more inclined to healing magic whilst others-"

"Merrywether, you're going off topic," Lloyd called from the back, and with a bashful chuckle she apologised. Sam, Claudia and Valanoir all looked beyond puzzled, with Sam staring hopelessly at his hands.

"I think I've forgotten how to magic stuff..."

"As I was saying..." Merrywether looked back at her drawing again, which appeared to be of two funnels. One was mostly full with a wide plug whilst the other was half empty, its thinner plug producing what appeared to be squiggly lines and sparks. "The body can only process a little at a time. Even in unaffected half elves, there's still a limit to how powerful a spell can be. You can train yourself to become more powerful, but that is more an effort at learning to control high amounts of energy. If the body can't control the energy, it can sustain serious damage. Just like a filter, it allows only a certain amount to pass through at any one time, meaning a safe refinement of raw mana into formed spells. Do you understand so far?" Looking back over her shoulder she found her audience nodding, even if some of them were only vaguely sure of what they were agreeing to. "In an afflicted half elf, imagine that the filter is much thicker, because the body doesn't know how to convert it into useable energy. Though a great hindrance, it is in fact much safer compared to what can happen.

"If the body is forced to take in a large amount of mana in an attempt at a powerful spell, the imagined filter breaks." She reached up and rubbed out the wider stopper in the full filter, before drawing whatever was inside flowing freely through to the other side. "As it doesn't have the ability to refine it, what is discharged is essentially raw magic. And as with many raw substances, it is unstable and unsafe. It tears through the body, destroying it."

By now Sam was gripping his bandaged arm, staring solemnly at the simple diagram with wide eyes.

"I don't get it..." mumbled Valanoir, head quirked to one side as she gazed helplessly at Merrywether.

"Sam's body can't use mana the same way as other elves and stuff. Any time he uses a spell it pretty much just tears him a new one," Claudia tried explaining in a hushed tone, not that it made a difference. The room wasn't particularly large, and even then they were all sitting close together.

"New one what?" Valanoir repeated, and Claudia hummed thoughtfully.

"Er, I mean..."

"Not helping, Claude!" Sam eventually hissed, before turning his attention back to Merrywether again. "How are the dwarves going to help? This is the elves problem, not theirs."

"The Exspheres I mentioned before are great enhancers of strength and ability, the reason for which is because they help the body process mana efficiently. And in the case of the Decay, that is precisely what is necessary," she explained as she brushed off her hands, before wiping down the board. "The substance the elves gave you is only a way of slowing it down. Even an Exsphere won't cure it completely, but it stops the process- it potentially _reverses_ it, to a degree, and is your best option at the moment. Since they're a dwarven technology, Moria is the only place local to us from here. It's also one of the few places that still allow people to equip them, considering potential dangers."

"Wait, these things are dangerous?" Claudia quickly piped up, and Merrywether nodded slowly.

"They need to be attached to the skin, but only with a base made of a specific ore that only dwarves can process. Otherwise they can cause serious illness."

"Okay, I'm not sure this is such a good idea anymore..." murmured Claudia, looking cautiously at Sam as she did.

"It's perfectly safe if done correctly. The dwarves have been using Exspheres for centuries." Looking back at Kratos when he spoke up Claudia still didn't look convinced. "And that isn't your biggest concern."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, still wary of what Merrywether had just told them.

They were all focused on Kratos now, who bore a grave expression on his features as he went to join Merrywether at the front of the class. She looked just as grim, her hands folded as she cast Lloyd a worried glance before turning her gaze to the floor.

"Kratos explained to me this morning his reasons for refusal in regards to Exspheres. Something the dwarves never mentioned to me during my visits…" Her voice was even quieter than usual, and they all strained to hear her as she almost whispered. "Do any of you understand the term 'lifeless beings'?"

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><p>YES! Finally, after <em>forever<em> without an update- HERE IT IS! Wow, that took its time. I have to admit, I wrote one draft out frikkin ages ago, but it was complete collywobbles compared to this! Well, I hope you enjoyed!


	20. Remembering a Fake Sky

See, this chapter was supposed to be updated ages ago. But both my betas never re-read it (yeah, I found another beta to avoid this exact problem), so I did after almost a month of it lying around. I'm so sorry for the delay, and for how short it is, but hopefully the next one (which might also take some time) will make up for it.

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 20: Remembering a Fake Sky<em>**

_The stars were the only thing that never changed. Over the past four thousand years Kratos had spent many an evening staring up at the sky for hours on end, since his desire to sleep had long been taken by the Crystal on the back of his hand. He could find and name any constellation, even in Elvish and Angelic, though at most it was all a ruse- a fake sky at most, over the 'Holy Ground', where Derris Kharlan hid behind a projection of stars. In either world it was better to be anywhere but there, without the depressing though that the Angelic City and its lifeless inhabitants were looming above. Not that anyone knew about it._

_Looking around the small camp Kratos envied his companions in their sleep. It had been a long and poignant day, the conversation sparked by Kvar and the Exspheres lingering long into the night until one by one they'd retired to their blankets around the fire. Three were sleeping. Colette, he knew, was doing much the same as he was: staring wide awake into the stars, though she had her back to the others to hide this, since Lloyd was also still awake. Arms crossed behind his head he wasn't looking at the sky so much as beyond it. Lost in thought with a troubled frown marring his features he eventually held his hand before his eyes, his Exsphere glinting in the firelight._

_He sat up with an irritated grunt, and Noishe lifted his head in curiosity from where he was curled up behind Kratos._

_"You should be sleeping," said Kratos, without turning his gaze from the heavens. This only made Lloyd grunt again, half crawling to sit closer to the fire and, inevitably, Kratos. Arms crossed and resting on his folded knees he was now glaring into the fre, looking ready to leap to his feet and kick it out before storming away. An attitude like that was always better off diffused. "What's wrong?" Kratos asked instead, causing Lloyd to run his hands through his unkempt hair._

_"Can we really keep using these?" he asked, looking at his Exsphere again. "They're people's lives! Ripped out and stuffed into these tiny rocks, like they don't matter..."_

_Lloyd's expression turned sombre, and he gently brushed his fingers against the glassy surface. "Most people... don't even know they're there..."_

_"Then you should be grateful." When these words passed his lips Kratos could see the fury in Lloyd's features, and continued before he could start. "Any number of people could've laid hands on that Exsphere without knowing the truth behind it. You can't change what happened, but make the best of your situation: what would you want if the inevitable happened and you were made into an Exsphere?"_

_"...Revenge, I guess..." was Lloyd's first reply, but he scoffed and shook his head with a dry laugh. "Nah. Dad would hate that..." Trailing off, his gaze drifted to the fire. "Does dad know about this?" he asked himself, more than anything, before running his hands wearily down his face. "No, he'd never do that kind of work..."_

_"It may be a dwarven technology, but the Desians saw the opportunity for a power source and took advantage of it. It may be that they found the fastest way to activate them."_

_"Why do they need so many? I mean, they capture towns and cities full of people, and almost every single one of them has an Exsphere on them. All the soldiers have one, so where do they go?"_

_'To Tethe'alla...' Kratos thought to himself, the Grand Bridge coming straight to mind._

_"If you weren't a mercenary, would you keep yours?" He looked back at Lloyd when he realised the boy in red had posed a question. "When Colette does it, regenerates the world, mercenaries will be out of work anyway, right? Would you keep yours?"_

_Reaching for another log Kratos threw it on the fire, watching the embers spark at the sudden movement with a stern gaze._

_"A world at peace doesn't stay that way for long. No doubt someone will lay claim to something that isn't theirs: thieves revel in calm times. People forget lessons learnt in battle, and that's when losses start." Kratos looked at his Cruxis Crystal. He'd lost too many people close to him due to that complacency, that false safety in the wake of a war, large scale or not. "I made a promise to stay alive. I'd rather keep that promise than see a stolen life wasted."_

_"You took your Exsphere from a Desian, right?" asked Lloyd, and Kratos nodded. "Would you have used it if you knew what it was?"_

* * *

><p>The sun was high over Meltokio by now, the surface of the bay waters to the east shimmering as the afternoon wore on. The streets were calm at this time, with most adults at work and children at school, so when Sam stormed out of the Elemental Research Laboratory it wasn't hard for Claudia and Valanoir to keep up. After a brief discussion with Merrywether Kratos followed them back towards the inn, where Claudia had managed to halt Sam and was trying to talk to him. When Kratos joined them Sam rounded on him, and the question that spilled from his lips reminded him of when Lloyd had asked it so long ago. Only in context they were two completely different questions: Lloyd had been curious; Sam was incredulous, almost scornful. "I mean, there's <em>no way<em> someone would use something like that willingly if they knew it was a _person_!"

"Sam, calm down...!" seethed Claudia, casting a wary glance around the people who were now staring at them, some of them even stopping in surprise.

"What- why the _hell_ should I calm down?" He was ready to go on by Kratos cut across him.

"This isn't something we should discuss in public. Think about who could overhear our conversation before broadcasting it to the entire district," he thundered, and Sam scowled at the floor in begrudging shame. His hands were clenched at his sides in silent anger.

"...Fine," he eventually grumbled. "Let's go back to the Lab..."

They re-entered the room to find Merrywether and Lloyd sitting at the back desk, lost in conversation. He had just pulled his gloves back on when they came in, and Merrywether looked at Sam in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked in her usual soft tone, and though he looked ready to storm out again he nodded and sat heavily back in his seat. When the others did the same Merrywether resumed her position at the front of the class. "I apologise for the... morbid turn our discussion took. Not that this conversation wasn't that to begin with." There were muttered replies in agreement. "But you must understand: Exspheres are one of the most effective methods of keeping the Decay at bay. It's the closest we have to any sort of cure, and we are a facility dedicated to the study and research of the Decay." Her gaze was focused on Sam as she said this, as he stared resolutely at the ground. "If you don't want the damage to progress I suggest you take it into serious consideration."

"That's.. you make them sound like tools! They were _people_!"

He looked sternly up at Kratos, glancing briefly at the gem gracing the back of his hand. "_Did_ you know... when you first...?" Sam gave the Crystal a curt nod. Crossing his arms Kratos shook his head.

"No. But using a stolen life to save another is better than wasting it altogether." Sam looked again at the ground, still uncertain.

"If you don't do something soon you're going to lose your hand," said Claudia, resting her head helplessly in her own hands. "I agree with Kratos: there's nothing we can do for them now except give them a good purpose. Well, a better one than being stuck to a machine," she finished with a shrug, running her fingers through her hair with an exasperated sigh. Sam could only hum a weak reply, but Valanoir was shaking her head. The conversation had twisted her features into a disapproving frown.

"_Na_! Is a despicable thing to do!"

"But it's all we have right now-" Claudia replied, but Valanoir shook her head again with more vigour.

"Must be another way! They are horrible if they kill people to make others stronger- _Dwarves_ are horrible if they make them!" she argued, bracelets ringing as she shook her fists.

"This does cast a worrying light on them..." mumbled Merywether, folding her arms across her middle and drumming her fingers gently against her chin. "They never mentioned this to me during my visits..."

"Must be another way, yeah? If not, we find another way!" Valanoir vowed resolutely, a fire in her eyes.

But Claudia wasn't as moved. "It's great to say something like that, but who knows how long it could take to find it. He needs something to help him now," she replied firmly, and Valanoir frowned. "It's not the greatest, but it's the only option we have."

"You mean that _I_ have," Sam spoke up, and both fell quiet as he sat up with a sigh, rubbing his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. Both Claudia and Valanior mumbled guilty apologies. "But it's not like I have to get one right now: we still have to get to Moria first, right? We can talk to the dwarves and see what they have to say first."

Agreement was unanimous, if a little begrudging from Valanoir, before Merrywether gestured for Lloyd to come forth.

"As I mentioned to Kratos before, the road to Moria is fraught with difficulty, which is why I have asked Lloyd to escort us there. Yes, he is an Eques Soldier," she quickly cut across Sam, who was pointing to the young man in question with his mouth open, ready to speak. "But he knows the guards at the checkpoint, which we need to pass through to get to Moria. The bridge they occupy is the only way across the ravine to the north."

"I doubt your warrant from Triet has made it as far as Meltokio even as a warning, so they won't be looking for you," Lloyd explained, amused by the relief that washed over Sam and Claudia's features. But Valanoir gestured to Kratos, much to his surprise.

"What 'bout Kratos?" They all stared at him, and Claudia shrugged.

"He can come too." Sam rolled his eyes, and Valanoir shook her head.

"Remember soldier on the boat? Called Kratos 'Nephilim', and wanted to take him to Sybak."

"You looked familiar when I saw you in Colwyn, so when I came back to Meltokio I looked you up," Lloyd explained as he mimicked Valanoir, gesturing to Kratos with a simple wave of his hand. "But you're not on a single database. Outstanding warrants and high warnings are in every one, and there's no sign of you anywhere."

"Then how did that Aber guy know him?" asked Sam, and Lloyd shrugged.

"I don't know. Aber ranks higher than me," he replied, glancing briefly to Valanoir. "...And I've heard he's pretty harsh." Frowning, she turned her gaze to the floor, gently stroking one of her pigtails.

"Save your concern. I'll be fine," said Kratos, but as they started discussing their route to Moria he became lost in thought. Was the Aber soldier looking for him specifically? Or just someone who looked similar to him? It would have to be someone with an incredible likeness for him to mix them up so easily, but over three hundred years any resemblances through Lloyd's family would be lost through genetic mixture. Never the less he wanted to take him to Sybak, just like Sam...

"No offence, but how do we know you're not just going to hand us over to the guards at the bridge? You're still a member of the Eques," Sam pointed out, and as Lloyd smiled sheepishly Merrywether pursed her lips with a harsh stare.

"I promised the Elder I would help you and keep you safe. I ask you to trust my brother just as you have trusted me up to this point." They cast each other wary glances, before all five were focused on Kratos. He, in return, sighed softly as he stood up from the table.

"If we're careful, we won't need to worry about the Eques." This made Lloyd beam.

"Since you're travelling with Merrywether and myself they shouldn't stop you at all. She's taken people with her before from the Lab, so they'll be fine with it."

"How do you know the dwarves anyway?" Sam enquired Merrywether, who placed a hand importantly to her chest.

"I am an ambassador for the Decay Research Team, which requires my travelling to Heimdall and Moria with frequency. In exchange for information in regards to Medicine and Exspheres I keep them up do date with what we've learnt here at the Laboratory."

"Do you think any of the dwarves will willingly attach an Exsphere?" She faltered slightly at Kratos' question, and her face fell.

"It might take some persuasion. They usually only work for payment, as Exspheres and the ore to make the crests are rare these days. But I'm sure once I explain the predicament, everything will be fine."

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><p>By the time they left the Laboratory the afternoon had lumbered on into evening, making any more exploration around the city a little pointless as shops and most tourist points started closing. But it was still too early to head back to the inn for the night: with Merrywether and Lloyd departing for the night to their home somewhere in one of the upper rings Sam, Claudia and Valanoir were left to their own devices. and so they went to investigate the Memorial Garden. Though he'd been once already Kratos went with them, not from concern but from curiosity, as some of the plants inside had caught his interest.<p>

Plants and flowers from every colour, size and pattern had been gathered here, from every place he could think of. Aqua sunflowers from Palmacosta, white roses and daffodils from the Martel Temple in Iselia, bright blue and red lilies from the Tower of Mana grounds, and white pond lilies from Luin scattered around the surface of the fountain water. Some old medicinal plants were about the place as well, such as old Fandalia flowers from the Fooji mountains, and Asch Flowers from Triet. There was even one of the large red flowers from the Latheon Gorge beneath a fruit tree, though it seemed devoid of activity as it sat placidly in the early evening sun. Forming a silver-blue border around it were hundreds of what appeared to be Celcius' Tears, but like the red flower they seemed to be only for show, and Kratos doubted that the real Tear could grow outside the frozen conditions of the Temple of Ice.

Linking arms with Claudia Valanoir whisked her away around the flowers, awed by the variety and twittering excitedly about what they could see from the path. Somehow Sam had avoided her hold and walked to the fountain instead, hands in his pockets as he watched the ground pass beneath his feet. Already standing at the fountain Kratos was reading a second golden plaque adorning the wall around it:

_'The Memorial Garden_

_Funded by the Company Lezareno and Wilder Family'_

So the Lezareno Company was still functioning, ar at least it was at the time when the garden was first arranged. No doubt there were plenty more memorials such as these.

Sam sat cross-legged on the bench and rested his chin in his hand, staring out across the garden at nothing in particular.

"Hey Kratos..." he mumbled, twirling a lock of navy hair absent-mindedly around his finger. "...Why do you have an Exsphere? Did you get yours from Moria too?"

"Yes, a long time ago," he replied, and it wasn't a lie. During the war they attached them to higher ranking soldiers anyway, but it was only after meeting a dwarf in Moria that they learnt how to evolve them. "It was necessary, to become stronger."

"Why did you...?"

"My companions and I needed strength, and at the time we didn't know just what it was that gave us that power." There was a gentle ring in the breeze. "We said we would give them up when we were done, but circumstances changed and that wasn't an option anymore."

"What were you trying to do?" Sam asked in curiosity, peering up at Kratos instead of the colourful foliage that spread in front of them. Kratos shook his head, making Sam frown.

"What we thought was right. At that time it was enough, but now it's like it never happened."

The worlds were one, the Great Tree was flourishing, and people were living in a prosperous era. It was as if Mithos had stopped the war, and left it at that. How long would it be before the peace was broken again?

From the bottom of the garden Valanoir came jogging, her eyes to the sky and searching through the branches of the few trees around them.

"What's wrong?" asked Sam, watching her climb up the steps around the side of the fountain. She stopped, resting her hands on her hips as she looked around.

"Can hear... ringing, like bells. Don't know where from... Wind not strong enough..." she mumbled, before noticing Sam's forlorn features. "What's wrong?"

"Just... thinking..." he sighed in reply, getting up from the bench and going to join her.

"Don't stay out late." They looked back at Kratos when he said this, and bid him farewell as he left the garden.

Arms folded behind her back Valanoir started walking again, her sandals crunching softly against the gravel path around the fountain. She blended in well with the colours of the garden, the setting sun bathing everything in a warm orange-pink light.

"So... thinking about Exsphere?" she asked gently, and with a heavy nod Sam sighed.

"I don't know... I mean, I know we can't change what happened to them, but I... I _can't_ use something like that...!" he groaned in frustration, running his hands across his face.

"Know what you mean..." she mumbled despondently in reply, peering down at her toes. "But... maybe Kratos right. Life was taken, but can help you now, yeah?" Scrunching up her nose, she seemed to be having a hard time putting words to her thoughts. "Better to save one than lose two."

"But it still doesn't feel right..." he sighed, before staring at Valanoir when she stepped in front of him.

"Is only 'til we find another way, yeah? And you will!" she reassured him, her features firm with resolution. He managed a smile, but could barely keep it long enough before Claudia called up to them.

"Hey, we should head back!" Valanoir waved back to her to show she heard.

"Okay!" she replied, and turned back to Sam. "You have a few days to think 'bout it, and who knows: maybe dwarves have more than Exspheres."

"Yeah, maybe..." he mumbled in reply, but his gaze was to the floor as he followed Valanoir back to the gate.

As Valanoir passed between the pillars he saw Claudia was still stood waiting, and he looked up to find her watching him in concern. He shook his head tiredly, holding up a hand to stop her before she could start a single sentence.

"I'm alright, don't worry..." he mumbled, but she didn't glare suspiciously at him like he'd expected.

"Is it still bothering you that much?" she asked, and he nodded wearily. They headed out throught he gate.

"I don't want to make this decision..."

"I know, but you have to. If you don't, who knows how long it'll be before we find something else."

"But it's someone's life... I can't use it like a tool..."

"But you're _not_."

Catching his shoulder Claudia turned Sam to face her, expression stark with concern. "It's a horrible thing that someone died because of another person's selfishness, and it always will be. People _are_ horrible, and there's nothing you can do about it. But you're not doing this because you want to be stronger, or better, or to spite whoever's in that stone: you need it to _survive_!" His gaze fell to the floor, but when Claudia brought her hands to his cheeks she brought it back up to meet hers. "This is the closest you've ever come to getting rid of this stuff. You can't pass it up so easily! Who knows how long it could take to find anything else!" Staring helplessly he was stunned by the desperation in her voice, and finally managed a small nod. She released him with a soft sigh, gently ruffling his hair with a half smile. "It's just until we find another way to stop it."

"But what if there isn't? You said it yourself that there might be nothing else," he replied, and when she gave him a confident grin he narrowed his eyes.

"We'll find something, even if I have to do it myself."

With her hands on her hips and her chest thrust out boldly her grin turned devious, making him laugh for the first time since that morning. Chuckling along with him she gave his arm a gentle nudge, and they walked back towards the inn. They'd be leaving for Moria sometime in the next few days, and no doubt Kratos would have plenty for them to do in preparation.


	21. Early Birds

I'm sorry for the impromptu hiatus! And sorry if you think this is scruffy, but I literally bashed it out yesterday in,like, two hours.

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><p><strong>Chapter 21: Early Birds<strong>

All night Kratos' thoughts had been unintentionally focused on his last journey around Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. All this discussion of Exspheres, coupled with seeing familiar names scattered about the city, made him recall all that he could about it despite his best attempts at pushing it all from his mind. The people, the places... When wandering the distant alleys of his memories his hands would usually be occupied by a small brass locket, kept around his neck for the better part of nearly two decades, but since passing it on before he'd left on Derris Kharlan it left him fumbling at the collar of his shirt instead. Often he found himself curious as to where it might have ended up over the years: had Lloyd kept it, or did the chain break once too often? Was it long lost, rusted and unrecognisable, the picture inside faded and so speckled from age it was just a scrap of dirty paper? Or maybe it was safe and hidden away, forgotten amongst memorabilia but otherwise protected until rediscovered by some hapless rummager? Not that it would mean much to them either... He sighed softly, letting his hand fall away. Wishful thinking, but it was nice to do so every once in a while.

The city started to stir with the dawn, and as a young man wandered by him sitting by the fountain in the Memorial Garden Kratos knew it was about time to return to the inn. They had a long walk ahead of them to Moria. Merrywether had expressed her desire to leave early yesterday, meaning he would need to get back to stir his three charges before long. Goodness knows how long they'd sleep in otherwise...

"Leaving so soon?" He paused as he was about to get to his feet, picking up a voice from nearby - so painfully familiar, right down to the teasing tone of the words. He looked around: the only place nearby he could possibly hear it from was the building high on the wall at the back of the garden, and spotted an open window on the second floor. The house was like all the others in the aristocrats' neighbourhood and had the light inside been extinguished when he'd looked around he wouldn't have thought twice, but the soft flicker of a candle had been enough to catch his eye. The same voice let out a purr of a chuckle. "Don't look like that."

"I told you everything relevant, now I'm going to Sybak. I said I'd meet them there tomorrow." There was a second voice that snapped a disgruntled reply along with the shuffling of books and maybe a bag, shadows moving about the room and making the candle flicker.

"You think he knows about...?" the first voice trailed off, a tense pause falling between the two, before there was a sigh and footsteps.

"No doubt, but they haven't met yet. After Heimdall he could be anywhere."

"He's travelling with three kids right? A half elf, a demon, and a human?" Kratos' attention had certainly been snagged by now, and he stared relentlessly at the window. Slowly getting to his feet he snuck around the low fountain wall, his boots crunching ever so slightly in the gravel. The voices paused a second time, before the same rolling chuckle came forth again. "He might be closer than you realise. I saw those kids with one of the scientists today, going into the Laboratory." "Did you see him with them?" the second voice asked accusingly.

"No, but-" "Then I doubt he's here. Probably smart enough to avoid an Eques stronghold after the incident on the boat."

The gate behind him clanged, the sound sharp in his ears after he'd spent so long listening hard to the hushed voices, and a glance over his shoulder revealed that the cleaner had thrown them open and latched them in preparation for visitors later in the day. By the time he focused on the window again the candle had been extinguished and the voices were gone, and he quickly looked along the wall for the nearest way up. Maybe if he was fast enough he could catch one of the mystery voices- either would do. The first, though clearly older than the last time he'd heard him, sounded uncannily like Zelos, and the second knew plenty about him and the 'three kids' with whom he was travelling. He would have realised if anyone was keeping an eye on them in any way, yet this sudden intrusion into their privacy had caught him by surprise. To have known about Heimdall meant the man must've been there, and mentioning that he was headed to Sybak made Kratos recall what the Elder had said about Genis. But the voice was too young for him: despite being part elven the passage of time would have been obvious in his voice, and had they met in Heimdall surely he would've made himself known? Something certainly wasn't adding up.

Rushing up the nearest staircase to the upper ring Kratos took the steps two at a time, though as he rounded the corner he came face to face with Merrywether and Lloyd. They gaped in surprise at their near collision, to which he mumbled a brusque apology.

"Is something the matter?" asked Merrywether, looking him curiously up and down. He glanced once again at the building he'd been heading towards, the rooftop and upper floor just visible over smaller buildings between them, but eventually shook his head.

"It's nothing," he replied softly, before checking the time on the face of the town square's clock tower instead. "I doubt the others are awake yet."

"All the more reason to go and find them," she replied, before looking at Lloyd. He was carrying two fairly large bags, but seemed untroubled by them as he smiled. "Are you sure you're alright carrying them?" "If I left it to you, Merry, we'd still be at the house," he joked, adjusting the one he held on his shoulder. "I wouldn't offer if I was having any trouble." She still didn't look certain, but nodded regardless and turned back to Kratos.

"Lead the way."

-x-

As expected all three were still sound asleep in their beds when Kratos returned, to which he sighed before rectifying. Standing next to Claudia's bed he found her arm and shook it.

"Wake up," he ordered, doing the same to Valanoir. Both sat up, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and stretching tiredly, and Claudia grumbled irritably as she stood up.

"I never want to travel ever again..."

"Always so negative..." Valanoir mumbled back drowsily as she sat at the edge of her bed, brushing back her hair. Going to Sam's bed Kratos repeated the gesture, must to the half elf's chagrin, and pointed them all to the tray of food on the table that he'd brought up.

"You should already be awake..." he muttered softly in disappointment, shaking his head as they each sat at the small table.

"Yeah, but you normally wake us up on time," Claudia was quick to answer, tearing a bread roll in half and picking up some bacon. This did nothing to improve Kratos' demeanour.

"You shouldn't be relying on me in the first place."

"But you're always up so early..." Sam mumbled as he fought back a yawn, pouring himself a glass of water. "We just kind of expected it today."

"We not leaving now, are we?" Valanoir asked a little uneasily, ignoring her food for the time being and briefly combing through her hair, arranging it into her usual long pigtails in no time.

"No, but we need to make sure we have what we need to make it to the mines," he explained as he picked up his bag from the post of his bed, briefly checking the contents. He still needed a proper map and a compass. "Merrywether and her brother are waiting downstairs." "Already?" came Sam's incredulous reply, which once again didn't make Kratos any happier.

"They were expecting you to be ready by now," he said sternly, though he had to admit they cleared the food up rather quickly despite having only stirred from their beds a few moments ago.

"Who gets up this early? This is crazy..." he heard Sam mutter irritably once he'd stood up from the table, and rolled his eyes as they each started gathering their own things from around the room.

Greeted by Merrywether and Lloyd in the foyer Sam, Claudia and Valanoir were now more or less coherent, and were pleasant enough despite the reprimanding gaze Kratos kept on them. They expressed their apologies for sleeping in, to which Lloyd dismissed with an amused smile and Merrywether pursed her lips. Clearly she was of the same mindset as Kratos, in that they should've already been awake.

Both were dressed more appropriately for travelling now as well. Merrywether had shed the formal, corseted dress in favour for something shorter and a little more durable, with pale blue gloves that extended all the way to her upper arms to protect her otherwise exposed limbs. The same type of material covered her legs up to mid-thigh height, the occasional flash of pale skin visible where they failed to meet her skirt. Her long ringlets were tied up with a matching ribbon tied into a bow, and resting around her hips was a belt adorned with small pouches and a set of keys that jingled ever so slightly when she walked. Her overall image was very feminine, right down to the demure way her hands were folded and held against her abdomen.

"I suggest we make haste: at this rate we won't arrive at the checkpoint until tomorrow evening," she groused, pulling a small watch from one of her pockets and checking the time. "I really would rather we didn't camp near it, considering the circumstances."

"Don't worry yourself so much. We'll be on our way before you know it," Lloyd reassured her, looking around them all. He was wearing his Eques armour again along with a weathered old elven cloak, but there was distinctly less metal than before. It made him much less intimidating than he'd been the day before.

"So I take it we're going shopping before we set off, right?" asked Sam, and when Merrywether and Kratos nodded he sighed softly. "How about you just leave me here for now? Just wake me up when we're leaving."

"Hell no. If I have to go shopping, you're coming too," Claudia retorted, ignoring his pathetic groans as she shoved him towards the door.

The streets were still mostly bare when they left the inn, though as they approached the main street it was clear many businesses were already open for trade. And just like them, it seemed the majority of people visiting at this time were adventurers, setting off bright eyed and bushy tailed despite the early hour. One or two even greeted them with a brief 'good morning', which only made Claudia glower at them.

"Why is everyone up so early...?"

"They're all most likely hoping to make good time on their travels before the height of the day, when the sun will be at its harshest," Merrywether answered brusqly, casting a sharp look at Claudia over her shoulder that made the latter falter slightly in her step. Pouting like a scolded child she hung back behind Sam and Valanoir, but said nothing more on the matter as they entered the general store. The man behind the counter greeted Merrywether and Lloyd with a pleasant smile and saw to them straight away, leaving Kratos to watch over Sam, Valanoir and Claudia wandering curiously around the shop and looking at what was on sale.

"We stocked up in Heimdall. What else could we possibly need?" mumbled Sam, poking through a small basket of dried herbs.

"It never hurts to be prepared," Kratos replied, his tone alone enough to keep Sam from nosing through anything else. Like Claudia he hung back and moped, hands shoved in his pockets in a grump as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

"I'm regretting the decision to come to Meltokio more and more..." he whispered sarcastically to Claudia in a hushed voice, to which she nodded dismally in reply. She was about to reply when they realised Kratos was still watching them sternly, and once again they fell into scolded silence.

They left the city limits with the sun still low in the sky, following a clearly marked dirt road north west. Unlike the hike from beyond Altamira to Heimdall, full of steep climbs and winding pathways through mountains, the walk to Moria looked incredibly simple. Their view of the distant mountain was only occasionally obscured by forests, but otherwise the road led straight towards it without trouble. It hardly looked more than a stone's throw away, but Merrywether had warned them that the entrance to Moria itself was a fair distance within the mountain and so they'd packed accordingly, prepared for a few nights camping at least. She took the lead with Kratos and Lloyd only a few steps behind, whilst Sam, Claudia and Valanoir brought up the rear in a tidy line. Each one had their bag filled to bursting, the only one not carrying anything nearly as heavy being Merrywether herself: other than a small over-the-shoulder satchel, Lloyd still seemed to be carrying everything. But he didn't seem troubled by it, still smiling pleasantly as they walked and seemingly with more energy than the three at the back combined.

Pulling her bag a little higher on her shoulder Claudia seemed a little bothered by something, frowning at the three walking ahead of them. Spotting this rather quickly Sam quirked an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she sighed softly.

"I don't know..." she eventually mumbled a little awkwardly, her hands wringing the strap of her bag before she nodded at Lloyd. "Doesn't it seem a little unfair he's carrying all that stuff?"

"He don't seem to mind, Claudie..." Valanoir pointed out from the other side of Sam, watching the young man herself. But she still didn't seem particularly happy.

"Shouldn't we help him?" "If you want to help anyone, you can carry my bag. I think I'm carrying at least eight full water bottles at the moment," said Sam, jostling the strap of his own bag with purpose which made Claudia scowl with a smirk.

"I carried you halfway through that Ymir Forest place. Don't think I'm doing you any favours for a while."

"Aw, Claude...!" he moaned pathetically, receiving only her teasing cackle in reply quickly joined by Valanoir's chiming little snigger.

Ahead of them Kratos was only vaguely aware of what they were discussing, managing the slightest of smiles at their enthusiasm and energy despite their destination. Even if it was only because they'd pushed the thought of the Exspheres to the back of their minds for the time being, it was better than walking the whole way in silent misery. The same did not hold true for himself: the conversation he'd heard earlier that morning still weighed heavily on his mind. Were they truly being followed? If that was the case, how hadn't he noticed sooner? If their discussion was anything to go by though, the man from Heimdall wasn't following them anymore, but even then that was a difficult statement to believe. Even by boat Sybak was at least two days travel... Nothing was adding up, and it was all weighing terribly on his mind. Well, at least he wasn't lost in memories any longer


End file.
